Wild vs. Stars Prediction and Odds: Minnesota Will Continue to Regress
The Minnesota Wild were the hottest team in the NHL in the first few weeks of December, but have recently stumbled, losing three straight games. They can get back on track tonight when they take on the Dallas Stars, who are 5-5 in their last 10.
The Wild remain atop the Central Division, but they hold just a one point lead over the Predators and Blues. The Stars rough patch has caused them to tumble down to sixth in the divisional standings, but they're still within reach of climbing back to the top.
This will be the second meeting between these two teams this season. The Wild walked away victorious from their first matchup, beating the Stars handily by a final score of 7-2.
Here are the odds for tonight's Central Division showdown, courtesy of WynnBET.
Wild vs. Stars Odds and Total
Moneyline:
- Wild -105
- Stars -105
Puck line:
- Wild +1.5 (-250)
- Stars -1.5 (+210)
Total:
- 5.5 (Over -130/Under +110)
Wild vs. Stars Betting Trends
- The OVER is 10-4 in the Wild's last 14 games.
- Wild are 8-3 in their last 11 games.
- The UNDER is 11-2 in the Stars last 13 games.
- The Stars are 9-1 in their last 10 home games.
Wild vs. Stars Prediction and Pick
A good portion of the Wild's success this season has come from their sharpshooting abilities. They rank 2nd in the NHL in shooting percentage, finding the back of the net on 10.9 percent of their shot attempts. They may have trouble continuing that level of shooting success tonight, as they face Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, who has a stellar .932 save percentage this season.
The Wild may do a better job of capitalizing on opportunities, but the Stars are more successful at creating scoring chances. They rank seventh in high danger scoring chances per 60 minutes of play, well above the Wild who only rank 17th.
We're seeing some regression from the Wild, due to the volatility of the shooting percentage stat. It's difficult to be score at that high of a rate for the entire duration of a season. The Stars have the better underlying statistics that show more consistent play, so I'll back them in a pick'em spot tonight.