The Minnesota Wild (12-12-4) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins (13-13-3) on Monday, December 18th. This game will be played at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The Wild are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Penguins are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Maple Leafs. Puck drop is set for 7:00 ET.

Minnesota Wild vs Pittsburgh Penguins

The Minnesota Wild Are Coming Off A Win

Through 28 games, the Wild have achieved an overall record of 12-12-4. When on the road, Minnesota holds a 5-8-2 record, while they are 7-4-2 when playing at home. This record has them sitting 7th in the Western Central division and 11th in the Western conference. Minnesota’s average scoring margin this season is -0.2, leading to an overall puck line record of 15-13. At their home arena, they have a scoring margin of -0.1, while on the road, it is -0.3.

The Wild played host to the Canucks in their previous game and emerged with a 2-1 win. In the first period on offense, the Wild managed to score one time, but that turned out to be the only scoring they could muster for the entire game. All two goals came at even strength. They finished with 31 shots on goal and had 10 turnovers.

Minnesota couldn’t cover the puck line despite the straight-up win, as they entered the game as the favorites with a -1.5 goal advantage. The game ended below the over/under line of 6.5, with a combined total of 3 goals.

The Pittsburgh Penguins Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Coming into their game vs. Wild, the Penguins have a 13-13-3 record. They hold a 6-6-1 record when playing at home, and they have gone 7-7-2 on the road. Their current record places them 7th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 13th in the Eastern conference. Looking at Pittsburgh’s average scoring margin, it is +.1, which has led to a puck line record of 12-17. When playing at home, their scoring margin is +.2, and on the road, it is -0.1.

Coming off a 7-0 loss on the road to the Maple Leafs, the Penguins are hoping to bounce back today. The Maple Leafs defense proved to be too much for Pittsburgh’s offense, resulting in being shutout. During the game, the Penguins’ offense had 9 turnovers and took 38 shots on goal while being shutout.

As the underdog, Pittsburgh suffered both a straight-up and loss vs. the puck line. With a combined total of 7 goals, the teams exceeded the over/under line of 6.5 goals set for the game.

Minnesota Offense Breakdown

On offense, the Wild are averaging 3 goals per game which is 26th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 28th in the league. The Wild went 8-5 in games where they had more shots than their opponents. However, in games with fewer shots on goal, their record was 4-7.

This season, the over/under record for the Wild’s is 13-13-2. Over the course of the season, they have had 14 games that exceeded the over/under line of 6. On average, their games are averaging 6.3 goals per game.

Pittsburgh Offense Breakdown

On the offensive side, the Penguins are scoring an 2.8 goals per game this season, ranking 27th in the NHL. When it came to shots on target per game, they are 10th in the league. This season, the Penguins are 7-7 when getting more shots on goal than their opponents. And in games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 6-6 record.

The Penguins come in with an over/under record of 10-17-2. Over the course of the season, they have had 13 games failing to surpass the 6 goal over/under line. The average number of goals in their games is at 5.7 per game.

Minnesota Team Defense

Defensively, the Wild come into the season ranked 26th in goals allowed. Opponents are averging 30.3 shots per game against Minnesota. For the season, they are ranked 16th in shutouts, coming in with 2 shutouts.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Defensively, the Penguins are currently 16th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 31.3 shots per game against Pittsburgh. They also are 1st in shutouts, coming in with 4 shutouts.

Wild vs Penguins Trends

• When looking at their past three road matchups, Minnesota has an puck line record of 2-1 while averaging 2 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
• Although Pittsburgh has a straight up record of 1-2 in their last three home games, they have not held up as well vs the puck line going 0-3. The team averaged 1 goals per game in these games.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the underdog, the Penguins have a straight up record of 5-5. Their record vs the puck line in these games was 5-5.
• In their last three contests as the favorite, Minnesota has a poor record vs the puck line going 1-2. But, they still put together a straight up mark of 3-0.

Wild vs Penguins Prediction

For a moneyline bet, I’m backing the Penguins to secure a victory over the Wild at home. With the moneyline currently set at -123, I’m locking in my bet on the Penguins straight-up.

When it comes to a puck line pick, our choice is the Penguins to secure the win and cover. Expect the Penguins to dominate this one with a multi-goal win over the Wild.

For those looking at the over/under line set at 6 goals, our expectation is that this game will surpass that mark, and we suggest making a bet 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.