The Wild and Hurricanes are looking down at most of the competition with less than a month before the real season begins. Both teams will be hungry in this one after a tight 3-2 victory by Minnesota last time they met.
Carolina is the NHL betting favorite on the NHL Odds board for a good reason, but don’t sleep on Minnesota. They had rattled off seven straight before their 4-3 OT loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and NHL odds for Wild vs Hurricanes. We have plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Will the Road Wild Play Like the Home Wild?
During their latest homestand, the Minnesota Wild went 7-1-1 and looked like they could beat anybody. Compared to their last road trip, those results are a night and day difference. In their last 10 road games dating back to early February, the Wild are just 3-6-1. Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes marks the front-end of four consecutive games in hostile territory.
Overall, Minnesota is 41-20-5 (second in the Central Division); the Wild are third in the Western Conference playoff race, two points back from Calgary and three up on St. Louis.
Kirill Kaprizov has been electric for the Wild; he leads the team in points with 83 (T-6th in the NHL) and goals with 38 (also T-6th). Mats Zuccarello has career highs in assists (he leads the team with 48) and points (67).
Carolina Has Looked Off Recently
The Carolina Hurricanes have been near the top of the standings from the jump, winning their first nine games. Now nearing the end of the regular season, they have fallen into what appears to be a mini-slump.
Winners in only four of their last 10, the Hurricanes will be hungry to get back on track in front of their home crowd. At 25-5-4, few teams have been able to match their intensity in Raleigh this season.
The Hurricanes are led in scoring by Sebastian Aho, who has been a different player at home this season, notching 12 goals and 25 assists. The main attraction for Carolina has been its defense, led by the man in the net, Frederik Andersen. Andersen is 33-10-3 and is boasting a .929 SV% along with just a 2.00 GAA. This is the number one defense for a reason.
Wild vs. Hurricanes Head-to-Head
The last time these two met, Minnesota won 3-2 at home in a game the Hurricanes were the favorites to win (-110 on the moneyline). A Carolina win would split the season series. Carolina has won six of the last 10 meetings between the two.
Wild vs. Hurricanes Game Information
- Game: Wild (41-20-5) at Hurricanes (45-15-8)
- Location: PNC Arena
- Day/Time: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET
- Live Stream: NHL TV
Wild vs. Hurricanes Betting Lines
Wild vs. Hurricanes Prediction
The betting movement in this one has pretty consistently hovered around -150 on the moneyline for the Hurricanes. BetUs NHL Odds have them at -155 and the Wild at +135. This could be a tight matchup, but it is hard to bet against a team as consistent – especially at home – as the Hurricanes have been all year.
Minnesota has been 1-4 SU in their last five games against Carolina. It likely won’t be easy between that, the recent head-to-head, and the Wild’s struggles on the road, but a game on home ice ought to spell victory for Carolina.
