Wild Seeking Home Ice
The Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild have met twice this season with the Canadians emerging as winners on both occasions. In their final meeting of the regular season, both sides will be gunning for the victory. The Flames will look to wrap up this series on a perfect note while the Wild will seek their first win.
Calgary has already clinched the Pacific Division title while Minnesota is tied on points with St. Louis for second in the Central Division. The Wild have a game in hand on the Blues in the battle for home ice in their first-round playoff series.
As per BetUS sportsbook, the Wild are favored to get into the win column. This is an interesting NHL betting outlook that stands in contrast to the head-to-head series while seemingly putting emphasis on home advantage instead. Does the market have it right?
Let’s check the latest NHL lines, stats, injury reports, and NHL odds for Flames vs Wild. We’ve plenty of NHL picks and predictions.
Flames Have Wild’s Number
The Calgary Flames are enjoying a three-game winning streak in their final week of the regular season. They’re in the midst of a banner season and are among the top favorites for the Stanley Cup.
They are coming off a hard-fought 5-4 win in overtime at the expense of the Nashville Predators on the road. Matthew Tkachuk scored with barely a second left in regulation time and Elias Lindholm scored the overtime winner to give his side the victory in the nine-goal thriller.
The Big Man. pic.twitter.com/hCTC0RlbD6
— y – Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) April 27, 2022
Prior to Tuesday night’s win in Nashville, the Flames won back-to-back home games over the Dallas Stars (4-2) and the Vancouver Canucks (6-3).
In their last 10 games, the Flames boast a solid 8-1-1 record – this includes a 4-1-0 record at home and a 4-0-1 record on the away.
The Flames lead the Pacific Division with a 50-20-10 record and 110 points – a record that includes a 30-13-5 record against Western Conference opponents.
Wild Look to Bounce Back
The Minnesota Wild are second in the Central Division with a 51-22-7 record and 109 points. They are nine points behind division-leading Colorado Avalanche and tied with the St. Louis Blues.
The Wild lost to the lowly Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night, losing 5-3 at the Xcel Energy Center. The defeat snapped a five-game winning streak that included three home victories. As a result, the Wild slipped to 8-1-1 in their last 10.
“We expect our character to come through”
🗣 Coach Evason on the teams disappointment tonight vs. Arizona.#mnwild pic.twitter.com/Sc1GfbBoAu
— x – Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 27, 2022
Fortunately for the Wild, they didn’t pay the price for their setback against Arizona as the Blues also suffered a 5-3 defeat to the Avalanche on the same night. That kept the Wild ahead in the standings and in a position to secure home advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Flames vs Wild Head-to-Head
The Calgary Flames own a 7-2-1 record over the Minnesota Wild over the last 10 games. By contrast, the Wild are 3-5-2 during this same span. The total has gone 2-7-1.
The Flames won the last meeting with the Wild, beaing them 5-1 on the road. It marked their fourth straight win and second this season over their Western Conference rivals.
Flames vs Wild Game Information
- Game: Flames (50-20-10) vs Wild (51-22-7)
- Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
- Day/Time: Thursday, April 28th, 8 p.m. ET
- Flames vs Wild Streaming: NHL.TV
Flames vs Wild Betting Lines
Flames vs Wild Prediction
The Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild will be gunning for the victory, but the hosts might have a little bit more incentive to win. Well, that’s the case at least according to the NHL betting markets that are cornering this game with the Wild.
The Wild are mired in a battle for home-ice advantage with the Blues, meaning this is a must-win game if they hope to stay ahead in the standings.
On the flip side, the Flames have already locked up top spot in the Pacific Division. This means they have nothing tangible to play for in the final week, although they haven’t exactly tapped out either as evinced by their effort against the Predators.
It’s important not to get too tied up with “motivating” factors. It’s true that the Flames have accomplished all they can in the regular season, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to tank their last few games either. There’s something to be said about maintaining momentum and sending a message to their opponents in the playoffs.
Thus, beating the Flames will be no mean feat. The Wild have failed to do so on two previous occasions this season. What’s more. they failed miserably in the process as the Flames outscored and outmuscled them by a combined score of 12-4 in those meetings. Given all this, the simple fact that the Flames are tipped as the underdogs is surprising. In fact, it is just too great an opportunity to ignore.
Pick: Calgary Flames +105
