Defense Optional When Oilers, Wild Meet
NHL online betting continues to heat up as the playoff races get more tight, and there is a big game set for Tuesday night in Minnesota. The Wild will host the Edmonton Oilers in a matchup of two teams that look to be comfortably in the playoff field.
The Oilers are in second place in the Pacific Division with 88 points. They had won six straight games before suffering a loss to Colorado.
Minnesota has gone 3-1-1 over its last five games, but has been solid for the past two months. The Wild now have 94 points to move into second place in the Central Division.
BetUS Sportsbook has the Minnesota Wild as slight favorites at -130 on the moneyline.
Let’s check the latest NHL lines, stats, injury reports, and NHL odds for Oilers vs Wild. We’ve plenty of NHL picks and predictions.
Power Play Powering Oilers
Edmonton is scoring right around 3.5 goals per game and has a power play that is nearly impossible to stop. The Oilers convert on the power play better than 25 percent of the time, and they have two superstars leading the way.
Connor McDavid might be the best overall player in the NHL and he leads this team with 66 assists and 108 total points. Leon Draisaitl has scored a team-high 50 goals and he can make a run at the goal-scoring title.
Getting stops continues to be an issue for Edmonton, which is giving up more than 3.1 goals per night. Goaltender Mikko Koskinen has been solid most nights, but the Oilers don’t always give him a ton of help.
Wild Wearing Down Opponents
The Minnesota Wild are scoring 3.6 goals per game and they have also struggled to get stops like the Oilers. Minnesota has a young superstar leading the way, but this team wins games by simply wearing down opponents.
Kirill Kaprizov leads the team with 42 goals and 89 total points, and his play has elevated the rest of his teammates as well. Minnesota just never seems to take a shift off, and its overall team speed is too much for most opponents to handle.
The acquisition of Marc-Andre Fleury has given Minnesota a hug boost as the veteran has allowed less than 2.5 goals per game since joining the team. Fleury is also impressed with his new team, saying, “The team that we have, I always have confidence that we can comeback in games, and we did tonight.”
Minnesota will have to deal with McDavid and Draisaitl, but it is talented enough to score as well.
Oilers vs Wild Head-to-Head
This will be the third meeting between the Oilers and Wild, and Minnesota has dominated up to this point. Minnesota has won each of the first two games and has actually won five straight in this head-to-head matchup.
The Wild have outscored the Oilers 11-4 in the two NHL games.
Oilers vs Wild Game Information
- Game: Oilers (42-25-6) vs Wild (44-21-6)
- Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
- Day/Time: Tuesday, April 12, 8 PM ET
- Live stream: NHL.TV
Oilers vs Wild Betting Lines
Oilers vs Wild Prediction
The NHL betting lines for this game are tight and the overall records are nearly the same as well. This is a game in which home-ice advantage could play a key role, and the Wild should be able to take advantage of this opportunity.
You should expect a ton of scoring in this game. The Minnesota Wild have been a slightly better defensive team and that could give them an edge in this one as well.
Don’t expect a ton of separation, but it will be the Wild that get the crucial goal late. Take Minnesota -130 in this very important game over the Edmonton Oilers.
