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Contents
- Pittsburgh Fighting for Playoff Spot
- Sealing the Deal
- Firing Away
- Wild vs Penguins Game Injuries
- Wild vs Penguins Head-to-Head
- Wild vs Penguins Game Information
- Wild vs Penguins Betting Lines
- Wild vs Penguins Picks and Prediction
- Wild vs Penguins Trends
- Wild vs Penguins Edge
- Wild vs Penguins Results
- Wild vs Penguins Game Summary
Wild vs Penguins Prediction, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds and Picks
Minnesota Eyeing Another 100-Point Season
Pittsburgh Fighting for Playoff Spot
The Minnesota Wild have clinched a spot in the playoffs and now it is time to sort out a wild race for the Central Division title with Colorado, Dallas and Minnesota all tied with 98 points. A win on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins would mean that Minnesota has posted back-to-back 100-point seasons for the second time in franchise history.
The Wild dropped back-to-back games to the Vegas Golden Knights and now go after their 21st road win of the season. Pittsburgh is a point out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with just four games remaining.
The Penguins are just 22-12-5 at PPG Paints Arena and there is just one home game remaining after the one with Minnesota. For those making NHL picks, Minnesota is 7-1-2 over its last 10 road games despite being outshot by an average of 37-30 in those contests while ranking 22nd on the penalty kill and 24th on the power play.
When looking at some of the NHL news, Minnesota continues to play without Kirill Kaprizov, who leads the Wild with 39 goals and 74 points. Minnesota is 6-3-3 since a lower-body injury knocked Kaprizov out of the lineup. He has started to skate on his own. Forwards Gustav Nyquist and Mason Shaw are also out.
For Pittsburgh, defensemen Dmitry Kulikov, Jan Rutta and Marcus Pettersson as well as center Nick Bonino are out.
According to the NHL odds, the Wild (+2200) are tied for 11th in the odds to win the Stanley Cup title. Pittsburgh (+5000) is tied for 14th in the championship odds.
Sealing the Deal
Getting the lead has not been quite as challenging for the Minnesota Wild as holding onto the early advantage.
Minnesota led in either the first and second periods in each of the last two games, only to manage just one of a possible four points when facing the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights.
Minnesota has lost four of its last five one-goal games. Overall, the Wild are 19-7-10 in one-goal affairs thanks to having one of the best goaltender tandems in the NHL. Filip Gustavsson is 20-9-6 and he is second in the league with a 2.03 goals-against average and .932 save percentage. Marc-Andre Fleury is 24-14-4 this season and 6-1-1 in his last eight games.
The NHL betting lines total has gone under in nine of Minnesota’s last 12 games against Eastern Conference teams.
Firing Away
It seems clear that the Pittsburgh Penguins subscribe to the philosophy that if at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again. Since the start of March, only the Florida Panthers average more shots on goal per game at home than the Penguins.
Pittsburgh outshot its opponents in the last five games on home ice in March. While Pittsburgh is 6-3-1 at home since March 1, if the Penguins fail to make the playoffs, they will certainly look to back-to-home losses to Ottawa and Montreal, when they outshot the Senators and Canadiens 92-43 only to come away with a pair of costly regulation losses.
The Penguins have been outshot in both home games in April, falling to Boston and topping Philadelphia.
The Las Vegas odds total has gone under in five of the last six games that Pittsburgh played against Central Division teams.
Wild vs Penguins Game Injuries
Wild vs Penguins Head-to-Head
Pittsburgh has won six of the last seven games and that includes the last two matchups.
In the first meeting of the season, visiting Pittsburgh won 6-4 as Sidney Crosby had two goals and two assists. It was the fifth straight game between the Wild and Penguins to go over the total with 47 goals being scored in those contests.
The road team has won four of the last six games. The last time the teams met in Pittsburgh, Minnesota won 5-4 as the Wild scored twice in the final four minutes of the third period and won in a shootout.
Wild vs Penguins Game Information
- Game: Wild (44-23-10) vs Penguins (38-29-10)
- Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
- Day/Time: Thursday, April 6, 7:00 p.m. ET
- Wild vs Penguins Live stream: NHL.TV
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Wild vs Penguins Betting Lines
Wild vs Penguins Picks and Prediction
Expect Pittsburgh to play like a desperate team as the Penguins are trying to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 17th season in a row. The Penguins were 2 of 5 on the power play in the first meeting with the Wild so Minnesota will look to keep this as a 5-on-5 game, especially since Minnesota is 29th in power-play success rate since the start of March and 17th on the penalty kill.
Keep an eye on Minnesota winger Matthew Boldy, who turned 22 on Wednesday. He is one of three players in the NHL with at least 10 goals and a +10 defensive rating since March 1.
Staying hot like Matt Boldy 🔥#mnwild pic.twitter.com/6c5TsJt2fk
— x – Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 4, 2023
Jake Guentzel and Jason Zucker have combined for 20 goals over the last 18 games for the Penguins.
The Penguins managed just 23 shots on goal the last time out in a 5-1 loss to New Jersey. It was a puzzling effort for a team fighting for a playoff spot. Expect more from the Penguins in this matchup.
Pittsburgh is 5-0-1 in its last six overtime games so if this heads into overtime, that could be an advantage for the Penguins.
The Penguins are 31-20-7 when listed by the sportsbook as the favorite. Minnesota is a 7-11-2 underdog.
Pittsburgh has covered just 12 of its 39 home games this season. Minnesota is 21-17 against the NHL spreads on the road.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at -125 in our Vegas NHL odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Penguins, you have a chance to win $80. Minnesota is +105, offering a chance to win $105 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Pittsburgh Penguins a 55.56% chance to win, with the Minnesota Wild at 48.78%.
Wild vs Penguins Trends
Wild vs Penguins Edge
Wild vs Penguins Results
Wild vs Penguins Game Summary
