The Minnesota Wild (5-1-2) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins (3-6-1) on Tuesday, October 29th. This game will be played at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh and televised on ESPN+. Both the Wild and Penguins will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 ET.
Wild vs Penguins
The Minnesota Wild Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
The Wild suffered their first regulation loss of the season, falling to 5-1-2 after a 7-5 defeat against the Flyers. Minnesota was favored on the puck line and the total of 5.5 goals was surpassed, with the teams combining for 12 goals.
After trailing 2-0 in the first period, the Wild tied it up in the second. They briefly took the lead in the third period, but the Flyers responded with four goals to secure the win.
The Pittsburgh Penguins Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
After a 4-3 loss to the Canucks, the Penguins dropped to 3-6-1 this season. Pittsburgh led 2-0 early in the second period, but Vancouver responded with four unanswered goals. The total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, and the combined 7 goals went over that line. Pittsburgh was the underdog on the puck line.
Three different Penguins found the net in the game. Anthony Beauvillier opened the scoring at 12:12 in the first period, and Bryan Rust extended the lead to 2-0 at 18:04 in the second. However, the Canucks scored their first goal just 2:10 later, eventually taking the lead and holding on for the win.
Minnesota Offense Breakdown
Marcus Foligno led the way for the Wild with two goals on three shots in their 7-5 loss to the Flyers. After a scoreless first period, Brock Faber got things going with his first goal of the season, and Joel Eriksson Ek added his fourth, which came on a power play.
Jacob Middleton scored his second goal of the season, while Kirill Kaprizov picked up two assists, bringing his total to 11 for the year. The Wild took 26 shots on goal and recorded 15 giveaways.
Penguins Offense Breakdown
Evgeni Malkin’s 4th goal of the season came at 6:38 in the third period, after he had already picked up his 10th and 11th assists on the Penguins’ first two goals. Anthony Beauvillier, who scored his 3rd goal of the season at 12:12 in the first period, added his first assist on Bryan Rust’s 3rd goal, which came at 18:04 in the second.
The Penguins took 24 shots on goal and had 14 giveaways. They scored once in each period, with Beauvillier’s goal in the first, Rust’s in the second, and Malkin’s in the third.
Minnesota Team Defense
Minnesota’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up seven goals on 22 shots from the Flyers. Goalie Filip Gustavsson made 16 saves but had a save percentage of just 72.7%. The Wild’s defense had 12 blocks and 5 takeaways, but they gave up the first two goals of the game and four more in the 3rd period, including an empty netter with 1:00 left.
Pittsburgh Team Defense
Defensively, the Penguins gave up four goals, all of which came in the second period. After taking a 2-0 lead, Pittsburgh allowed four straight, with the first coming at 15:54 in the second. Alex Nedeljkovic made 30 saves with a save percentage of 88.2% on 34 shots from the Canucks. The Penguins also recorded 4 takeaways and 16 hits.
Wild vs Penguins Trends
- Although Minnesota has a straight up record of 6-4 in their last ten road games, they have not held up as well vs the puck line going 7-3. The team averaged 3 goals per game in these games.
- In their last three games at home, the Penguins have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 0-3 vs. the spread. The team averaged 2 goals per game in this stretch.
- The last ten games that Pittsburgh was the underdog, they have an puck line mark of 4-6 while going 1-9 straight up.
- Going back to their previous ten games as the favorite, Minnesota has an puck line mark of 5-5 while going 7-3 straight up.
Wild vs Penguins Prediction
For a moneyline pick, I’m taking the Penguins to pick up on a win over the Wild at home. With the moneyline sitting at +107, I’ll be locking in a bet on the Penguins straight-up.
Our projections have the Penguins pulling out a win as the underdog. But if you’re not as bullish as we are on the Penguins, 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 6.5 goals, we believe that this game will remain below that figure, and we recommend wagering on the under.
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:October 29, 2024 Penguins, Wild