Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars Game 5 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
The must-watch playoff action between the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars continues with Game 5 on Tuesday night. As expected, this has been an all-out war between two teams that hold themselves to Stanley Cup standards. I expect the same to be the case in Game 5.
The winner of this one will be just one win away from advancing to the second round, so this game is all-important. Here is our Wild vs. Stars preview and prediction to see how this one may play out.
Wild vs. Stars NHL Betting Odds
Dallas has now covered three of the four pucklines, meaning Minnesota has just once, which came in Game 1. For Game 5, Dallas looks to cover their -1.5 line at +195, while Minnesota looks to cover +1.5 at -240. On home ice, the Stars are favoured at -130 on the moneyline, while the Wild are +110.
The game total is set at 5.5 goals on the NHL odds, with a favourable lean towards the over (-120) as opposed to the under (+100). These teams are 2-1-1 to the over in this series.
To no surprise, Jason Robertson (+120) leads the way in goal-scoring odds, after scoring in three consecutive games. Kirill Kaprizov (+155) and Matt Boldy (+155) have the shortest odds for Minnesota, while Wyatt Johnston (+155) and Mikko Rantanen (+205) round out the top five.
Minnesota Wild
After the Minnesota Wild jumped out to an incredible start to the series in a 6-1 Game 1 win, they lost the next two games. In Game 4, two paths were to continue to falter, or to rise to the occasion and even things up. They chose the latter.
On the injury front, there is a high probability that forwards Mats Zuccarello and Yakov Trenin will return to the lineup. Combining for 21 goals and 77 points in the regular season shows these are key pieces. Heavy-hitter Trenin (413 regular season hits) will play a key role against this heavy Stars team.
Rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt has impressed beyond any expectations, and has thus far outplayed Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, who now has 69 playoff games under his belt. I expect this hot hand to continue with Wallstedt who is beaming with confidence.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are obviously very much in this series in a 2-2 tie, but we have yet to see consistent play that shows they are capable of winning a Stanley Cup. After a diabolical 6-1 loss in Game 1 on home ice, I would have expected to see much more from them.
A major concern is their showing of depth in this series. While key players Jason Robertson, Miro Heiskanen, Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston, and Matt Duchene have absolutely balled out (27 points in 20 combined games), the rest have been asleep.
NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Wild vs. Stars Game 5?
The Minnesota Wild have a lot going for them right now, and I am absolutely buying their stock as a team. Their main core of Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes, Matt Boldy, and Brock Faber are all showing up and then some, with the rest of the team pulling the rope. On the road with some reinforcements on the way and coming off a win, some pressure could be dislodged from the group, allowing them to play freely. As Dallas continues to try and find overall team consistency, I expect the good vibes in Minnesota to continue in a 4-2 road win.
