The Minnesota Wild, led by Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund, are ready to take the ice against Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center in an East-West showdown. The opening face-off takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, March 8, and it can be viewed live on Fox Sports North.
Minnesota Wild at Florida Panthers Odds
This matchup’s moneyline and Over/Under odds have not been posted by oddsmakers yet.
Minnesota is 33-35 straight up (SU) and has lost 13.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. 34 of its outings have gone under the total, while 27 have gone over and just six have pushed. This 2018-19 Wild team is 19-16 SU on the road.
Minnesota has converted on 20.3 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 18th overall, and it has successfully killed off 80.2 percent of all penalties..
With a .913 save percentage and 25.8 saves per game, Devan Dubnyk (28-28-6) has been the top option in goal for Minnesota this year. Dubnyk played last night, however, so the team might choose to rest him and turn to Alex Stalock instead (6-11-2 record, .896 save percentage, 2.98 goals against average).
On the other side of the ice, Florida is 28-39 straight up (SU) and has lost 16.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 67 regular season matches, 35 of its games have gone over the total, while 24 have gone under and just seven have pushed. This season, the team’s 16-18 SU at home.
The Panthers come into the matchup with the third-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve found the net on 26.6 percent of their extra-man advantages this year. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 12th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.1 percent of all penalties.
Roberto Luongo (24.7 saves per game) has been the top choice in goal for the Panthers. Luongo has 15 wins, 22 losses, and five OT losses and has maintained a subpar .897 save percentage and 3.16 goals against average this year.
Minnesota Wild at Florida Panthers Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Panthers, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Power plays and penalty kills may be key in the outcome of this game. The Wild are 13-16 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 21-23 when they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes. The Panthers are 14-21 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 18-28 when total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Two of Florida’s last ten games have been decided by a shootout. The team is 0-2 in those games and 3-6 overall in shootouts this season.
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their past five matches.
- One of the best at valuing possession, Minnesota is ranked second this season with just 6.4 giveaways per game. That figure’s trended upward, as the team’s averaged 8.0 giveaways over its last 10 games and 8.8 giveaways over its last five.
- Florida has averaged 16.8 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 14.9 giveaways per game (ranked 32nd in the league).
- The Panthers this season have registered the 12th-most hits in the NHL (22.9 per game), but that average has risen to 28.2 over their last five home outings.
