Minnesota Wild vs. Edmonton Oilers Prediction, NHL Odds
Two of the game’s best face off for the first time this season, as Kirill Kaprizov and Connor McDavid are both looking for back-to-back wins.
The NHL odds have the Oilers as the favourite at -161 on the Moneyline and the total is set at six
Wild vs. Oilers NHL Betting Odds
Thursday will be the first of three meetings between these squads this season and the Oilers will be looking to flip the script after losing two of three to the Wild last year. Their matchups were high-scoring, hitting the OVER twice, while the lowest-scoring contest ended with a total of six. Minnesota has been dominating this matchup over the past few seasons, winning eight of the past 10 meetings, dating back to 2020.
The Wild have been making bettors a ton of money through almost a quarter of the season, covering the spread in 12 of their 18 games. They have been solid on both sides of the puck this season, scoring 3.39 goals per game and allowing a league-best 2.33 per game. Their record on the O/U is 8-8-2 and three of their past four have gone to the UNDER.
After not covering for four games in a row, the Oilers got back into the right column on Tuesday, with their 5-2 win. They have only covered in six of their 20 games this season and just four of their last 10. With their star-studded lineup, people would expect the Oilers to be one the highest-scoring teams in the league. The fact they are in the bottom third in scoring this season is not good enough, playing the O/U 7-12-1.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild got back in the win column Tuesday night, reclaiming their second-place position in the Central Division. The 4-2 win in St. Louis over their rival Blues came on the back of Kirill Kaprizov’s pair of goals and Filip Gustavsson’s 22-save performance. Minnesota’s defensive scheme has been absolutely locked down for the past six games, never allowing more than two in the stretch.
Kaprizov is now second in the league scoring with 33 points, just one behind the leader. He has climbed to the top of the Hart Trophy board paying out +275. In just his fourth season the 27-year-old Russian is having the best season yet, on pace for 150 points.
Minnesota has been great as the visitors, posting an 8-1-2 record on the road so far. Their stifling defence and ability to get on the board first takes life out of the home teams.
Edmonton Oilers
After struggling in back-to-back road games, Connor McDavid put the Oilers on his back in their final game of the trip taking down the Senators 5-2 on Tuesday night. Edmonton’s captain scored two goals in the final four minutes of the first period, putting Edmonton up 3-1 and they never looked back. Evan Bouchard (5) Leon Draisaitl (14) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2) also scored for Edmonton, helping them bounce back from a 3-0 loss in Montreal Monday.
Draisaitl’s 14 goals are second in the league, but he is now the odds-on favourite to win the Rocket Richard Trophy for the league’s top scorer. His line is at +375 and has some serious value, especially with Alex Ovechkin and Auston Matthews out for a while with injuries.
With a win tonight, the Oilers would bring their home record back to .500 and extend their home streak to three straight wins. Expect to see Stuart Skinner get back in goal on Thursday.
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