Facing each other for the final time this season, the Minnesota Wild and the Detroit Red Wings take the ice at Little Caesars Arena. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, February 22, and you can witness this East-West matchup live on Fox Sports Detroit.
Minnesota Wild vs. Detroit Red Wings Odds
This matchup’s moneyline and Over/Under odds have not been posted by oddsmakers yet.
Minnesota is 28-33 straight up (SU) and has lost 17.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. 29 of its outings have gone under the total, while 26 have gone over and just five have pushed. This 2018-19 Wild team is 15-15 SU on the road.
Minnesota has converted on 20.9 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and it has successfully killed off 80.6 percent of all penalties.
Minnesota, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.8 times per game in the 2018-19 season, and 2.8 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 8.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 25.6 saves per game with a .910 save percentage, Devan Dubnyk (23-27-5) has been the best option in goal for Minnesota this season. Dubnyk did just play last night, however, so Minnesota may decide to rest him and instead turn to Alex Stalock (6-10-1 record, .890 save percentage, 3.08 goals against average).
Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund will both be offensive focal points for the visiting Wild. Parise has 51 points on 24 goals and 27 assists, and has recorded two or more points 10 times. Granlund has 15 goals and 34 assists to his name (and has logged at least one point in 34 games).
On the other bench, Detroit is 23-38 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 30 of its matches have gone under the total, while 29 have gone over and just two have pushed. The team is 12-19 SU at home this year.
Detroit has converted on just 16.4 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that places it in the bottom 10 overall among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is also ranked 24th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
The Red Wings have been penalized 3.7 times per game this season, and 2.8 per game over their last five at home. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays just 6.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jimmy Howard (27.4 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Detroit. Howard has 17 wins, 25 losses, and seven OT losses and has registered a .910 save percentage and 2.88 goals against average this year.
Dylan Larkin (26 goals, 32 assists) will pace the offensive counter for the Wings.
Minnesota Wild vs. Detroit Red Wings Betting Predictions
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Red Wings, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- For both of these teams, the under has hit in three of their last five matchups.
- Power plays and penalty kills may be key in tonight’s game. The Wild are 9-15 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 16-21 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, total. The Red Wings are 5-18 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 13-25 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Minnesota is 1-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Detroit is 2-5 in shootouts.
- Detroit is ranked 31st overall with 5.6 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended down lately, however, as the team has averaged 4.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 4.0 takeaways over its last five.
- Minnesota is ranked 19th in the NHL with 7.2 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher recently, as the team has created 7.8 takeaways over its last 10 games and 8.8 takeaways over its last five.
