The Minnesota Wild will head to New York to take on the Rangers in this cross-conference matchup. The puck drop for this game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. eastern from Madison Square Garden.
The Minnesota Wild come into this game after losing back-to-back games over the weekend. The Rangers also lost this weekend, causing them to drop to third in the NHL standings in their Metropolitan Division.
Before making our NHL picks in this Wild vs Rangers prediction, let’s look at each of these NHL teams’ stats and their NHL player stats.
Last Game Records
Minnesota Wild
In their last game, the Wild took on the St. Louis Blues, a division rival. The Wild got off to a slow start and did not get a goal in their first game, while the Blues were able to get one on the board,
In the second period, neither team could find the back of the net, making it 1-0 heading into the third period. The Wild were never able to get things going while the Blues added two more, causing the Wild to lose the game 0-3.
New York Rangers
The Rangers took on the New Jersey Devils in their last game. The Rangers took an early 1-0 lead when they were the only team to score a goal in the first period.
New York was able to increase their lead in the second period when they got two goals across, while the Devils only scored a single goal. The Rangers let the Devils back in the game in the third period giving up two goals and not scoring a goal themselves, tying it up 3-3.
The Devils would score a third unanswered goal halfway through the overtime period. The Rangers lost the game 3-4.
Minnesota Wild vs. New York Rangers Betting Analysis
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild standings find them in third place in the Central Division. They currently have 47 points as a team and are chasing the Dallas Stars, who are at 54.
The offense for the Wild is rather mediocre, averaging 3.15 goals per game which are 17th in the NHL. In their last five games, the Wild are averaging 4.0 goals per game, even with a shutout in their last game.
The defense and goaltending are right around the same, giving up 2.85 goals per game which are 12th in the league. In their last five games, the Wild are giving up 3.2 goals per game on average.
Kirill Kaprizov has set himself alone as the player of the current and future for the Minnesota Wild. He is currently leading his team with 48 points, scoring 23 goals, and assisting on 25 others. In their last ten games, he has recorded 12 total points.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers currently find themselves in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division. They have racked up 51 total points on the season and are chasing the Carolina Hurricanes, who have 57 total points.
The Rangers’ offense is also middle of the pack, averaging 3.24 goals per game which is 15th in the league. In their last five games, the Rangers averaged 3.6 goals per game.
The defense and goaltending for the Rangers have been the teams’ pride and joy, giving up just 2.71 goals per game. In their last five games, the Rangers have given up 2.6 goals per game on average.
Artemi Panarin is leading the team with 45 total points. The Rangers are one of the few NHL teams who have three players who are at 40 total points or more.
Updates
Minnesota Wild
While there are no injury concerns, the Wild have their number one goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury, dealing with a personal issue. He has been away from the team for a few days and is listed as questionable for tonight’s game.
New York Rangers
The Rangers NHL injury report looks very good for them. While they have a couple of players questionable for tonight’s contest, they are dealing with an illness, not an injury.
Minnesota Wild vs. New York Rangers Odds
The New York Rangers odds show them as the moneyline favorite tonight, sitting at -140. The Wild are small underdogs with +120 odds.
The puck line for this game has the Rangers at -1½ with +180 odds. The Wild are +1½ with -220 odds.
The goal total for this game is set at six. The over has -105 odds, while the under has -115 odds,
Minnesota Wild vs. New York Rangers Betting Prediction
This is one of those NHL games that have the potential to be great hockey. Both teams are fighting to try to get to a position where they are in a playoff spot, which makes making a Wild vs Rangers prediction a little tougher.
The Wild have played decent on the road this season for all of their away games on their NHL schedule. This, mixed with the rough patch of hockey they have been playing, puts them in a good spot to win the game outright this evening.
Also, it looks like a good time for the over to be in play. Both teams seem to be playing well on the offensive side, which usually results in goals from both teams.
Final Wild vs Rangers prediction: 4-3 Wild.
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.
