The Minnesota Wild (21-23-5) travel to face off against the Chicago Blackhawks (14-34-2) on Wednesday, February 7th. This game will be played at United Center in Chicago and televised on TNT. Both the Wild and Blackhawks will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:30 ET.
Wild vs Blackhawks
The Minnesota Wild Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Despite being favored, the Wild have been struggling as of late. They have lost two straight games and have gone just 4-6 in their last ten games. On the road this season, Minnesota has gone 9-12-2 and 3-8 in divisional games. Overall, the Wild are 21-23-5 and sit in 7th place in the Central Division and 13th in the Western Conference with 47 points.
When favored, Minnesota has gone 14-6-2 this season, and they have won two straight games on the road. Against other teams from the Western Conference, the Wild have gone 8-13 this year. In their last three games, Minnesota has gone 1-2, and they are 3-2 in their last five games.
On the road, the Wild have gone 13-10 against the puck line this season, and they have gone 25-24 overall. So far, Minnesota has seen 14 wins by multiple goals, and they have gone 5-5 against the puck line in their last ten games.
Minnesota comes into the game with an average scoring margin of -0.3 goals per game. Against the Central Division, the Wild have gone 9-13 against the puck line when favored, and they have dropped two straight games against the puck line.
Following a 3-2 loss at home to the Ducks, the Wild are eager to bounce back. On offense, the Wild scored two times in the first period, but that was all the scoring they could come up with for the game. In the game, Minnesota managed to score all two goals at even strength. They concluded with 37 shots on goal and committed 9 turnovers.
Minnesota was favored by -1.5 giving them a loss vs. the puck line. Combining for 5 goals, the game finished below the over/under line of 6.
The Chicago Blackhawks Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
At home this season, Chicago has gone 10-11-1, and they have dropped four straight games as the underdog. In the Central Division, the Blackhawks are in 8th place, and they have gone 3-13 in divisional games. For the year, Chicago is 14-34-2, and they have lost three straight games.
Against Western Conference opponents, the Blackhawks have gone 8-22, and they are in 16th place in the conference. Over their last ten games, Chicago has gone 2-8, and they are 13-33-2 as the underdog this season.
Chicago enters the game with a puck line record of 22-28 this season, including a mark of 13-9 at home. Their average scoring margin for the year sits at -1.4 goals per game, and they have dropped 27 games by multiple goals.
So far, the Blackhawks have been the underdog in all but two games and have a puck line record of 22-26 as the underdog. In their last ten home games, Chicago has gone 6-4 vs. the puck line.
Coming off a 1-0 loss on the road to the Flames, the Blackhawks are hoping to bounce back today. The Flames defense proved to be too much for Chicago’s offense, resulting in being shutout. While being shutout, the Blackhawks’ offense finished with 9 giveaways and took a total of 32 shots on goal.
Despite the loss, Chicago did cover the puck line, as they went into the game as the underdog. The game finished below the over/under line of 6 with a combined total of 1 goal.
Minnesota Offense Breakdown
On offense, the Wild are averaging 3 goals per game which is 21st in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 22nd in the league. The Minnesota offense is ranked 13th in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they find themselves at 24th in the NHL.
This season, the over/under record for the Wild’s is 24-21-4. Over the course of the season, they have had 28 games that exceeded the over/under line of 5.5. On average, their games are averaging 6.4 goals per game.
Blackhawks Offense Breakdown
For their offensive performance, the Blackhawks come in averaging 2.1 goals per game this season, which is 32nd in the NHL. In the category of shots on goal per game, they are 30th in the league. So far this year, the Blackhawks are 1-11 in games they have had more shots on goal than their opponent. They are 13-21 in games with fewer shots on goal.
The Blackhawks’ over/under record this season is 19-29-2. For the season, they have had 27 games that surpassed this game’s over/under line of 5.5. Overall, their games are averaging5.6 goals per game.
Minnesota Team Defense
Defensively, the Wild come into the season ranked 17th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 30.4 shots per game against Minnesota. For the season, they are ranked 14th in shutouts, coming in with 3 shutouts.
Chicago Team Defense
Defensively, the Blackhawks come into the season ranked 7th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 32.2 shots per game against Chicago. For the season, they are ranked 26th in shutouts, coming in with 1 shutouts.
Wild vs Blackhawks Trends
- In their last three road games, Minnesota has averaged 4 goals per game while allowing 4. The team’s record in this stretch was 2-1 while going 2-1 vs. the spread.
- When looking at their past ten home matchups, Chicago has an puck line record of 6-4 while averaging 2 per game. The team went 5-5 overall in these games.
- Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Blackhawks have gone 1-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 0-3.
- The last three games that Minnesota was favored, they have an puck line mark of 1-2 while going 1-2 straight up.
Wild vs Blackhawks Prediction
For a moneyline pick, I’m taking the Blackhawks to pick up on a win over the Wild at home. With the moneyline sitting at +187, I’ll be locking in a bet on the Blackhawks straight-up.
Our projections have the Blackhawks pulling out a win as the underdog. But if you’re not as bullish as we are on the Blackhawks, we’d recommend at least getting a bet down on them to cover the puck line.
When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 5.5 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* 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.
Last updated:February 7, 2024 Blackhawks, Wild