The BB&T Center is the site for an East-West matchup as the Minnesota Wild travel to Florida to take on the Panthers. The match will get going at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, December 22, and you’ll be able to see the game live on Fox Sports North.
Minnesota Wild vs. Florida Panthers Odds
Florida (-105) is entering this one as the underdog to Florida (-115), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-125 under, +105 over).
Minnesota is 18-16 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. 17 of its contests have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and just two have pushed. As an away team in 2017-18, the Wild are 8-10 SU.
Minnesota has converted on 20.4 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked seventh overall, and the teams successfully killed off 83.3 percent of all penalties.
The Wild, as a collective unit, have been penalized 4.3 times per game this season, and 5.2 per game over its last five road outings. The teams had to stave off opponent power plays 11.0 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
With a .916 save percentage and 27.8 saves per game, Devan Dubnyk (13-10-2) has been the best option in goal for Minnesota this year. If head coach Bruce Boudreau decides to rest him, however, the team may go with Alex Stalock (6-7-1 record, .913 save percentage, 2.80 goals against average).
Eric Staal and Jason Zucker will both lead the way for the visiting Wild. Staal has 31 points on 14 goals and 17 assists, and has recorded multiple points seven times. Zucker has 14 goals and 11 assists to his name (and has notched at least one point in 18 games).
On the other side of the rink, Florida is 13-21 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 34 regular season matches, 17 of its games have gone over the total, while another 17 have gone under and none have pushed. This season, the team is 6-9 SU as the home team.
The Panthers have converted on just 17.8 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 19th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.4 percent of all penalties.
Florida players have been penalized 4.4 times per game in total this season, and 2.8 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to kill penalties just 5.6 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
James Reimer has stopped 27.7 shots per game as the top netminder in goal for the Panthers. Reimer has seven wins, 14 losses, and four OT losses and has recorded a fairly-weak .901 save percentage and 3.38 goals against average this year.
The Panthers will be led on offense by Vincent Trocheck (13 goals, 21 assists).
Minnesota Wild vs. Florida Panthers Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Panthers, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Minnesota is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Florida is 2-2 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in four of Florida’s last five outings.
- Minnesota has managed 28.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Florida is averaging 39.8 shots per game over its last five at home.
