In their third head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Minnesota Wild and the Chicago Blackhawks meet at the United Center. NBC Sports Chicago will broadcast this Central Division matchup, which gets underway at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 27.
Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks Odds
Chicago (+130) is entering this one as the underdog to Minnesota (-150) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -115 for the over and -105 for the under.
Minnesota is 17-18 straight up (SU) and has lost 5.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. 16 of its outings have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just four have pushed. As an away team in 2018-19, the Wild are 7-9 SU.
Minnesota has converted on 23.1 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked second overall, and the team’s successfully killed off a whopping 86.7 percent of its penalties.
Minnesota, as a collective unit, has been sent to the penalty box 3.8 times per game this season, and 2.6 per game over its last five road outings. The team has had to kill penalties 8.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sporting a .913 save percentage and 26.4 saves per game, Devan Dubnyk (13-15-3) has been the top option in goal for Minnesota this season. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, head coach Bruce Boudreau could turn to Alex Stalock (5-4), who has a .904 save percentage and 2.65 goals against average this year.
The visiting Wild will be led by Mikael Granlund and Zach Parise. Granlund has 34 points via 11 goals and 23 assists, and has recorded multiple points in eight different games. Parise has 15 goals and 14 assists to his credit (and has registered at least one point in 21 games).
On the other side of the ice, Chicago is 13-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 11.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 39 regular season matches, 22 of its games have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and just two have pushed. It’s 7-12 SU as the home team this year.
Chicago has converted on just 13.0 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s ranked 29th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 32nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 73.5 percent of all penalties.
The Blackhawks have been penalized only 3.3 times per game this season, 2.8 per game over their last five contests total, and 2.8 per game over their last five at home. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays just 6.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Corey Crawford (28.3 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for Chicago. Crawford has six wins, 17 losses, and two overtime losses to his name and has maintained a subpar .902 save percentage and 3.28 goals against average this season.
Patrick Kane (17 goals, 27 assists) will lead the offensive counter for the Blackhawks.
Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks Free Picks
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Wild, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their last five outings.
- Over Minnesota’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
- Minnesota skaters recorded 16.9 hits per game last season, while the Hawks accounted for 16.8 hits per contest.
