Wild vs. Stars Odds, Picks, Predictions: Minnesota Faces Tough Matchup in Dallas

The Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars meet Wednesday in a matchup of Central Division teams on the right side of the playoff picture. Read on for our best Wild vs. Stars pick based on top odds.

The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild meet in a nationally-broadcast tilt Wednesday, a battle between the former and current NHL franchises in the State of Hockey.

The Wild sit third in the Central with 58 points in 49 games but have gone six games without a regulation win (though they do have an OT victory and a shootout triumph in that span).

The Stars, meanwhile, lead the division with 68 points in 52 games. They're 3-0-3 in their past six games, going beyond 60 minutes in each of the past four.

Here is our best Wild vs. Stars NHL pick (odds via BetMGM; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

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Wild vs. Stars pick

Stars ML vs. Wild (-154 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Stars and the Wild are above-average when it comes to both elements of special teams – but Dallas's penalty killing is on a whole other level.

The Stars are the top four-on-five team in the NHL, allowing a net of 4.26 goals (goals against minus goals for) per 60 minutes while shorthanded.

The Stars also hold an edge during five-on-five play, ranking ninth in score-and-venue-adjusted expected goals at 52.5%. The Wild are just 17th at 51.3%.

This should be an excellent goaltending matchup, with Filip Gustavsson going for the Wild against Jake Oettinger of the Stars. Among the 48 goaltenders to play at least 1,000 minutes, Oettinger ranks third with a .924 save percentage; Gustavsson (.922) ranks fifth.

Minnesota is expected to be missing shutdown defenseman Jonas Brodin, who suffered a lower-body injury in Monday’s loss at Arizona – and that could pose a problem when trying to stop Dallas' top line.

Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, and Joe Pavelski are one of two lines to play more than 300 minutes together and control more than 70% of the on-ice goals during five-on-five play. 

This is not a lopsided game by any means, but many of the small edges point toward Dallas, especially with the Stars holding home-ice advantage.

Check out our latest Stanley Cup odds.

Wild vs. Stars best odds

BetMGM (-154) 

There is a significant difference in the Stars' moneyline price at the top-rated sportsbooks. The line was hovering around -140 to -145 early in the day, but has since shifted – in some cases, dramatically.

BetMGM, DraftKings, and PointsBet have the best numbers on the board (ahead of FanDuel) while Caesars’ price is not competitive. There has been enough movement in the line that it probably shouldn't move too much before puck drop.

Wild vs. Stars odds

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Wild vs. Stars odds analysis

The FanDuel moneyline opened with the Stars at -134, compared to the Wild at +112. With 76% of the early consensus moneyline wagers on the Stars, there has been substantial line movement.

The Stars are now favored at -160 while the Wild moneyline is at +132.

The total briefly opened at 5.5, with the Over at -122 and the Under at +100. With 55% of the early consensus action coming in on the Over, the price has shifted slightly. The Over is now -120 and the Under at -104.

Check out our Stanley Cup odds!

Wild vs. Stars game info

• Date: Wednesday, Feb. 8, 8:30 p.m. ET
• TV: TNT, BSN, BSWI
• Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

Wild-Stars pick made 2/8/2023 at 12:15 p.m. ET.

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