Two teams desperate for a win will go head-to-head when the Utah Hockey Club host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday at 9:00 p.m. EST in the Delta Center. Check out our Utah Hockey Club vs Minnesota Wild prediction and picks!
Minnesota is currently 3rd in the Central division with 72 points through 58 games, trailing the #2 Edmonton Oilers by four points. Minnesota is 6-4 in their last ten and they are 21-7-3 on the road this year. Meanwhile, the Hockey Club is trailing by four points for the final wild card spot in the West. Utah has 61 points through 59 games, and they are doing their part with a two-game winning streak heading into this contest. Utah is favored at a -150 money line while the total is set at 5.5 goals? Can Minnesota continue to prove they are one of the best teams on the road with a win?
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Wild Need More Wins
Minnesota suffered a defeat at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 3-2 in their latest contest. Jakub Lauko and Marco Rossi scored a goal each for the Wild and Matt Boldy added an assist along with a team-high three shots. Filip Gustavsson didn’t have much work to do, but still made only 13 of 16 saves.
Kirill Kaprizov is by far the leader in points for the Wild with 52 while Marco Rossi is in 2nd with 46 points. Kaprizov has 29 assists and 23 goals to lead the squad. He also has a forward-high with a +19 and nine power play assists. Ryan Hartman has 60 penalty minutes while Kaprizov has 22:24 average ice time per game to lead the forwards. Boldy is leading the squad with six power play goals for the Wild and he has 188 shots to his name as well, good for top on the team. Minnesota ranks 21st in the league with 2.82 goals per game while also ranking 21st with 27.7 shots per game. They are 27th in the league in the face-off circle with a 47.1% win rate while succeeding on 18.4% of their power plays, good for 24th in the NHL.
On the defensive side, Brock Faber leads the blue-liners with 21 points, including 15 assists. Jake Middleton has seven goals and a defense-high +15 on the year. Faber leads the squad in ice time with an average of 24:56 while also leading the defenders with six power play assists. He is also the only blue-liner to have scored on the power play this season. Jared Spurgeon has the most shots on goal among the defenders with 71 and Middleton has the most penalty minutes with 31. Filip Gustavsson has started the majority of games in net for the Wild and has posted a 2.66 GAA with a 91.3% save percentage. Marc-Andre Fleury is not a bad backup either with a 2.62 GAA and a 91.5% save percentage. Overall, the Wild rank 11th in goals against per game with 2.80, 27th in shots against per game with 30.1, and 29th on the penalty kill with a 71.2% kill rate. Kaprizov is the main player out of the three players listed on the injury report for the Wild. All three players are listed as out for this upcoming contest.
Hockey Club Need Help
Utah earned a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in their most recent outing. Lawson Crouse and Clayton Keller each scored for Utah and the former led the squad with five shots on goal. Karel Vejmelka made 21 of 22 saves in the victory.
Clayton Keller currently leads the Hockey Club with 36 points, although two other players are close behind with 30+ points each. Dylan Guenther has 16 goals to his name and Keller has 23 assists, both leading the squad. Logan Cooley has a +13 and Jack McBain leads the team in penalty minutes with 45. Dylan Guenther is the primary power-play scorer with seven goals for Utah and Keller has the most assists on the power play with nine. Keller has the most shots on the squad as well with 87 and is the only forward with over 19 minutes of average ice time. As a unit, the Hockey Club’s offense ranks 18th in goals per game with an average of 3.00 despite ranking 26th in shots per game with 26.9. Their power play is at a 21.4% success rate, good for 17th in the league and they are at a 51.3% win percentage in the face-off circle, ranking 13th overall.
On the defensive side, Mikhail Sergachev has the most points with 26, including eight goals and 18 assists. Michael Kesserling has the best +/- ratio among defenders with a +10 and Maverick Lamoureux leads the defense in penalty minutes with 42. Sergachev is far and away leading the squad in ice time with an average of 25:52 and he is the only defender to have multiple power play assists to his name. He has eight to put it in perspective. Sergachev is the main shot-taker for the defense with 58 total shots on the season and he is the only blue-liner with multiple power play goals as well. Utah ranks 15th in shots against with an average of 28.3, 13th in goals against with 2.85 per game, and 16th on the penalty kill with a 79.8% kill rate. Vejmelka has gotten the majority of starts in net for the Hockey Club, and he has a 2.33 GAA and an 91.7% save percentage. Sean Durzi, John Marino, and Ingram are some of the players listed on the injury report. All five players listed are defenders or goalies, and they are all absent from this upcoming contest.
Insiders Status:
I know Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek are out for this upcoming contest, but I still believe the Wild at a +125 money line is a terrific value bet. Utah’s goalies have not been as good with a combined 88.5% save percentage in their last five games. Minnesota has a better GAA of 2.4 and 90.8% save percentage during the same time frame. Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi can replace Kaprizov’s production for the time being and the Wild have won three of their last four. Utah hasn’t had a convincing win in a while, with their last five wins decided by one goal and three of those decided after regulation. If you flip those around, Utah could be 2-8 in their last ten. I trust the success of Minnesota more than Utah in this case.
Insiders Status:
This is a toss-up game and with a lot at stake, I expect the defenses to be more solidified to avoid any mistakes. Minnesota will be without two of their top playmakers on the squad and both teams have averaged less than three goals per game this year. Both teams have hit the under in the majority of their contests this year and Utah has scored three or less in nine of their last ten games. Minnesota has scored two goals or less in four of their last six games played, including two shutouts.
For another opinion on this game, check out Minnesota Wild vs. Utah Hockey Club Prediction from WinnersandWhiners, our partner site.
Seamus has grown up in the world of sports his entire life, with his mother and father playing multiple sports during their early years. As a result, Seamus tried nearly every sport he could and found a passion for watching as many games as possible, particularly the “core four” sports. Seamus first started writing sports articles when he was 18 years old. He has covered a variety of sports, ranging from the NFL to the Korean Baseball League, to amateur soccer, and so forth. His knowledge and range of all sports has led him to be successful in making picks across the board. Over the past five years, he has learned more about betting trends along with the business side of sports, graduating with a sport management and economics degree. We’re excited to have Seamus on the team, as he provides quality insight and finds hidden values in games where the average person would not. His dedication to finding the best matchups to bet on is top-tier and he finds intrinsic value in helping others make money using his hard work and detailed analysis. You can be sure that if you follow Seamus on a daily basis, you will not be disappointed.
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