Overview
The Carolina Hurricanes head up north to Minnesota where they take on the Wild. The Hurricanes and Wild don’t play each other all that often just 10 times since 2000 and this will actually be the first meetings since 2013 so I think we can basically through all the head to head stuff right out the window for this one.
Head to Head Trends
Home team is 10-3-1 in the last 14 meetings.
Hurricanes are 2-5-1 in the last 8 meetings in Minnesota.
Minnesota Wild (-185)
The Minnesota Wild are 5th in the Central Division with 61 points 19 points back of the 1st place Nashville Predators and they are also a couple points out of a playoff spot right now but I think they’ll make it. The Wild are playing some great hockey over the past few weeks winning 7 of their last 8 games while outscoring their opponents 19-9. The Wild have played fairly well at home this season with a 15-11 record but they have been one of the best home teams over the past few seasons so I expect them to win a lot of their remaining home games. At home the Wild are averaging 3.0 goals per game on defense while allowing 2.6 goals per game for a very impressive +0.40 goal differential.
Minnesota Wild Trends
Wild are 7-1 in their last 8 overall.
Wild are 13-5 in their last 18 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400.
Carolina Hurricanes (+165)
The Carolina Hurricanes are last in the Metropolitan Division with just 45 points and although not mathematically out of the playoffs it would basically take a miracle for them to make it. The Hurricanes are actually pretty good on defense allowing just 27.9 shots and 2.7 goals per game and they also have the second best penalty kill in the league but it’s offense that has really hurt the Canes this season. The Hurricanes have the 29th ranked offense in the league averaging just 2.2 goals per game and they might have a great penalty kill but they certainly don’t have much of a power play hitting at just 16.9%.
Carolina Hurricanes Trends
Hurricanes are 8-21 in their last 29 road games.
Hurricanes are 16-35 in their last 51 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Conclusion
I like the Minnesota Wild over the Hurricanes in this one. The Wild are a fairly big favorite at -185 but I think they should probably even be a bit higher. The Wild are playing great hockey right now and they are at home where they are usually very good while the Hurricanes are one of the worst teams in the league especially on offense so I think they might have a hard time hanging with the Wild in this one.
Free Pick: Minnesota Wild -185
