Even with some goalie problems, Minnesota enters Tuesday’s game as a clear favorite.
Wild facing goalie problems
The biggest news on Monday around the league was the coaching change in Minnesota. The Wild fired head coach Dean Evason and replaced him with John Hynes. This is a team that is usually in the playoff picture but now they’re seven points from the last Wild Card spot in the West. Considering that, it’s not a big surprise to see GM Bill Guerin make a move.
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The fall has been anything but expected in Minnesota. Known especially defensively as a competent team, the Wild have conceded almost four goals per game on average. The goalie tandem has been their weakest link so far. That is also evident in the Wild’s dismal penalty kill percentage. Opponents have scored on Minnesota on every third power play attempt on average.
Both Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonas Gustavsson are likely to improve their stats as the season progresses. The Wild need above-average goaltending because their offense is relatively weak for an otherwise competent team. Marco Rossi may change that soon if he can continue his promising development. The next Thomas Vanek of Austrian hockey has scored a respectable 11 points in 19 games. The team is healthy but missing Ryan Hartman due to suspension.
Which version of Blues will we see?
Tonight’s opponent, the St. Louis Blues, is nine points ahead of the Wild in the standings. The Blues have already beaten several high-quality teams along the way. On a further note, they have also experienced humiliations such as Black Friday’s home defeat to Nashville by a score of 3–8. Game performance fluctuates strongly from night to night, which is typical for teams in the weakest quarter of my power rankings.
Number one goalie Jordan Binnington has played some of his best hockey since the Cinderella run to winning the Cup in 2019. The Blues are similar to Wild in that they also need strong goaltending on a regular basis. Robert Thomas’ line provides reliable offense, but other than that, St. Louis has even greater difficulty creating scoring chances than Minnesota does.
Wild is stronger and worth a bet
This match is quite difficult to analyze. Both teams have a bit of a shaky profile and aren’t exactly the most consistent performers in the league. Whenever St. Louis plays, there’s literally no result that should come as a surprise either way around. On the other hand, Minnesota’s goaltending is an enigma that creates lots of variance in Wild’s games.
Despite their early season struggles, the Wild are clear favorites in my books. A home win in regulation should cash almost 52 percent of the time. Unibet has +105 available for that, and that is a price we’re happy to accept.
Tip: Minnesota Wild in regulation @ +105
Units: 4/10
The match will start on 11/28/2023 at 8:00 PM EST.
The odds are from the time of publication of the article and are subject to change.
Esa Kostet
X: @konekostet
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