Both New Jersey and Minnesota are applying the pressure on division leaders. The Devils are one point behind Carolina in the Metropolitan Division standings while Minnesota is a point ibehind Dallas in the Central Division.
The Devils have just one win in their last four games while Minnesota is 4-1-1 over its last six games and recently had a stretch of 14 games in a row picking up at least one point. That needs to be considered when making NHL picks.
When looking at some of the NHL news, Minnesota is without winger Kirill Kaprizov, the team’s leader with 39 goals and 74 points. Forwards Marcus Foligno and Gustav Nyquist are also out.
For the Devils, forwards Nathan Bastian, Curtis Lazar and Miles Wood are all questionable. New Jersey continues to be without goalies Jonathan Bernier and Mackenzie Blackwood.
According to the NHL playoff odds, the Devils (+1200) are tied for sixth in the odds to win the Stanley Cup title. The Wild (+2200) is 11th in the championship odds.
Things Starting to Get Wild
The days of Minnesota being involved in low-scoring, tight-checking affairs might be disappearing.
Over the Wild’s last five games, an average of 8.8 goals are being scored and only Florida Panthers games feature more offense during that stretch.
Minnesota is fourth in the NHL with an average of 4.8 goals during that stretch. A more concerning number could be that the Wild has killed off just 55% of the opposing power plays in that span.
Matthew Boldy is coming off his first multi-goal game since Jan. 26 and he has five goals and four assists over the last five games. He had a hat trick in Sunday’s 5-3 win over Washington. It was his second three-goal game at the NHL level and first this season.
The script is giving today 🤌 BOLDY HATTY #mnwild pic.twitter.com/2KNrcaDm1D
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 19, 2023
A bigger surprise has been fourth-line winger Ryan Reaves, who plays less than 10 minutes per game, having three goals and two assists during that stretch.
The Las Vegas odds total has gone over in each of Minnesota’s last six games.
Getting Back into Win Column
Sunday’s matchup with Tampa Bay wasn’t exactly a must-win game for New Jersey. However, this is not the time of the year that a team with playoff aspirations wants to be headed in the wrong direction.
New Jersey outshot Tampa Bay 39-24 despite the Lightning having three more power-play opportunities.
Jesper Bratt scored nine seconds after Tampa Bay took the 2-0 lead and again less than three minutes later. He completed his first career hat trick at the NHL level with an empty-net goal with 12 seconds to play as the Devils snapped a three-game losing streak. Nolan Foote added his first goal of the season.
New Jersey has been on the penalty kill four more times than the Devils have been on the power play over the last four games and that is a trend they will be looking to reverse.
Five of New Jersey’s last seven games have gone under the NHL betting lines total.
Wild vs Devils Game Injuries
Wild vs Devils Head-to-Head
Minnesota has won four games in a row against New Jersey after winning 3-2 in a shootout at home on Feb. 11.
It was the third time in the last four meetings that the game finished under the total.
Seven of the last nine games between the Wild and Devils finished as one-goal affairs with the visiting team winning seven of those games.
Wild vs Devils Game Information
- Game: Wild (40-22-8) vs Devils (45-18-7)
- Location: Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.
- Day/Time: Tuesday, March 21, 7:00 p.m. ET
- Wild vs Devils Live Stream: NHL.TV
Wild vs Devils Betting Lines
Wild vs Devils Picks and Prediction
This is one of two games on Tuesday between teams with at least 40 wins so it should be a good matchup.
There shouldn’t be many secrets between the teams since this is the third meeting between the teams in a week.
The Devils are 31-17-3 when listed by the sportsbook as the favorite. Minnesota is 5-11-2 as the underdog. The teams are facing different injury-related issues with the Wild without top goal scorer Kaprizov and the Devils having two goalies sidelined.
The Devils are just 13-22 against the NHL odds at home with the Wild covering in 19 of the 34 games on the road.
The Minnesota Wild are listed at +155 in our Las Vegas hockey odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Wild, you have a chance to win $155. New Jersey is -175, offering a chance to win $57 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Minnesota Wild a 39.22% chance to win, with the New Jersey Devils at 63.64%.
Wild vs Devils Trends
Wild vs Devils Edge
Wild vs Devils Results
Wild vs Devils Game Summary
