The Chicago Blackhawks (12-20-2) travel to face off against the Minnesota Wild (20-10-4) on Monday, December 23rd. This game will be played at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul and televised on ESPN+. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Puck drop is set for 8:00 ET.

Blackhawks vs Wild

The Chicago Blackhawks Are Coming Off A Win

Chicago improved to 12-20-2 with a 4-2 win over the Ducks. The Blackhawks covered the puck line as underdogs, and the total of 6 goals fell short of the 6.5 line.

Chicago’s offense was balanced, with four different players scoring. They built a 4-0 lead before Anaheim got on the board in the third period.

The Minnesota Wild Are Coming Off A Win

With a 2-1 overtime win against the Maple Leafs, the Wild improved to 20-10-4. Minnesota, favored by -1.5 goals, didn’t cover the puck line, and the total of 3 goals fell short of the pre-game line of 6.

Ryan Hartman opened the scoring for the Wild at 9:41 in the first period, but the Maple Leafs tied it up with just 52 seconds left in the period. Matt Boldy then secured the win with a goal at 2:14 in overtime.

Chicago Offense Breakdown

Chicago’s offense found the net four times in their 4-2 win over Anaheim. Ryan Donato scored his 7th goal of the season, while Seth Jones added his 2nd. Isaak Phillips and Teuvo Teravainen, who now has 4 goals this season, also contributed. The Blackhawks took 29 shots on goal and scored twice on power plays.

Connor Bedard picked up three assists, bringing his total to 9 for the season. Taylor Hall added his 4th assist on Teravainen’s power-play goal. Chicago had 12 giveaways in the game.

Wild Offense Breakdown

Ryan Hartman netted his third goal of the season, while Matt Boldy added his sixth in overtime to give the Wild a 2-1 victory over Toronto. Jared Spurgeon picked up two assists, bringing his season total to three.

The Wild fired 33 shots on goal but were held scoreless in the second and third periods. They recorded 15 giveaways in the game.

Chicago Team Defense

Defensively, the Blackhawks will look to carry over their performance from the previous game, where they allowed just two goals to Anaheim. Arvid Söderblom made 38 saves with a 95% save percentage, and Chicago’s defense added 6 takeaways and 5 hits. Both goals they allowed came in the 3rd period, including one with just 4 seconds left.

Minnesota Team Defense

Defensively, the Wild will look to build on their previous performance, where they allowed just one goal to Toronto. Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves, posting a 96.4% save percentage. Minnesota’s defense also recorded 7 takeaways and 22 hits. The only goal they conceded came on a power play late in the first period.

Blackhawks vs Wild Trends

• Although Chicago has a straight up record of 1-4 in their last five road games, they have not held up as well vs the puck line going 2-3. The team averaged 2 goals per game in these games.
• Through their last ten home contests, the Wild offense has averaged 2 goals per game while allowing an average of 3. Minnesota posted an overall record of 4-6 while going 3-7 ATS.
• Spanning across their last five games as the betting underdog, the Wild have gone 2-3 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-4.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the favorite, the Blackhawks have a straight up record of 6-4. Their record vs the puck line in these games was 4-6.

Blackhawks vs Wild Prediction

If you’re looking for a straight moneyline bet, then the Wild are the way to go. However, with a payout of -245, you might consider using this bet as a leg of a parlay.

For my recommended choice in the puck line, I’m leaning towards the Blackhawks to cover. Even if the Wild secure a straight-up win, this game is expected to be tightly contested, and the Blackhawks should cover the puck line.

With an over/under line sitting at 5.5 goals, we like this game to surpass that mark and recommend getting a bet down on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.