NHL Best Bets: Wild vs. Blues Game Picks

The Minnesota Wild will be looking to continue their winning ways and charge up the Central division when they visit the St. Louis Blues tonight.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Minnesota Wild (-152) vs. St. Louis Blues (+126) Total: 5.5 (O-138, U+112)

It hasn’t been a positive season for the Blues, who ultimately sold off assets at the NHL trade deadline and will be looking to retool their core in the offseason. On the other hand, the Wild have continued to occupy a playoff spot in the Western Conference and have been making headlines as the team with the second-best record in the Central. Minnesota’s currently listed as favorites on the moneyline tonight at -152, while the Blues are priced at +126. 

Minnesota has collected points in ten consecutive games and posted a 7-0-3 during that cycle. The Blues haven’t been playing nearly as well, which has seen them occupy a 3-5-2 record over that same sample size. There’s been no consistency to the Blues’ game, making it difficult to trust them in matchups like these. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Wild have confirmed that Marc-Andre Fleury will be between the pipes, while the Blues should be countering with Jordan Binnington. The Wild’s veteran netminder has posted a 21-13-3 record, paired with a .909 save percentage, while Binnington is sitting at 22-24-5, along with a .894 save percentage. With these numbers in mind, the Wild should have a nice advantage in goal tonight, especially when you factor in their strong defensive tendencies. 

St. Louis really has nothing to play for at this point besides their pride, while the Wild still believe they have a real shot at catching the Dallas Stars for the Central division lead. As a result, targeting their attractive moneyline price of -152 is the direction bettors should take tonight. 

Best Bet: Wild moneyline (-152) 

There are certainly some similarities between these clubs offensive, which has them in the bottom half of the league in goals scored per game. The most significant difference, though, is in the goals allowed per game category, which has the Wild sitting third in the NHL while the Blues are all the way down in 28th. Over the Wild’s past five games, they’ve seen six or more goals scored three times, while the Blues have seen that transpire in all five games. With that in mind and the recent trends these respective clubs have shown, targeting the over 5.5 at -138 is where the value lies in this matchup tonight. 

Best Bet: Over 5.5 (-138) 

There might not be many high-level offensive players in this matchup, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t at least some value to target on the board. The Minnesota Wild have been scoring at a much higher clip of late, and we’ve seen some really strong growth from their young winger, Matt Boldy. The Wild forward has compiled five points over their past five games to lead the club, along with 45 points in 67 games. Those numbers don’t jump off the page at you, but Boldy is still listed at a very nice number of +190 to find the twine tonight, which warrants consideration. 

Best Prop: Matt Boldy to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+190)

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