NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers at Minnesota Wild
Overview
The Edmonton Oilers are in Minnesota where they take on the Wild. The Wild have absolutely owned the Oilers over the last decade or so winning 41 of the last 56 meetings overall and 22 of the last 27 meetings played at home in Minnesota.
Head to Head Trends
Oilers are 15-41 in the last 56 meetings.
Oilers are 5-22 in the last 27 meetings in Minnesota.
Minnesota Wild (-290)
The Minnesota Wild are 5th in the Central Division with 69 points just 1 point ahead of a trio of teams with 68 points for the final playoff spot in the West. The Wild are one of if not the hottest team in the league right now with 11 wins over their last 13 games so they are getting hot at the right time. Over their last 10 games the Wild are averaging 3.3 goals per game on offense while allowing just 1.6 goals per game on defense. Overall on the season the Wild are averaging 2.9 goals per game on offense while allowing 2.6 goals per game on defense for a +0.3 goal differential but the thing I really like about the Wild is that they have a +4.6 shot differential so that really shows how dominant of a team they can be.
Minnesota Wild Trends
Wild are 11-2 in their last 13 overall.
Wild are 6-0 in their last 6 home games.
Edmonton Oilers (+245)
The Edmonton Oilers are last in the Pacific Division with just 44 points which is also last in the Western Conference and just a few points ahead of the Buffalo Sabres for the worst record in the entire NHL. The Oilers have been obviously pretty bad for most of the season but there’s one stretch that stands out back in November and December that saw them lose 20 of 21 games. The Oilers are near the bottom of the league in goals scored averaging just 2.3 goals per game and they are also near the bottom in goals allowed with 3.4 goals per game.
Edmonton Oilers Trends
Oilers are 14-41 in their last 55 road games.
Oilers are 18-55 in their last 73 vs. a team with a winning record.
Conclusion
Even though the Wild are huge -290 favorites I’m still going to take them over the Oilers in this one although I will be betting them on the spread at -1.5 +100 instead of the moneyline. The Wild are playing great right now plus they play pretty good at home in general so with them fighting hard for a playoff spot they know this is a game they should pick up 2 points and I wouldn’t be surprised if they win by 5+ goals.
Free Pick: Minnesota Wild -1.5 +100