The Chicago Blackhawks (21-23-8) and Minnesota Wild (29-14-10) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. EST at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Wild are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6.5 (+105o / -125u). The Wild are a -220 favorite to win outright, while the Blackhawks are +180 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Blackhawks vs. Wild predictions and NHL picks.
Blackhawks vs. Wild Odds, Pick
| Blackhawks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -140 | 6.5 +105o / -125u | +180 |
| Wild Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +112 | 6.5 +105o / -125u | -220 |
- Blackhawks vs. Wild Spread: Wild -1.5 (+112 ), Blackhawks +1.5 (-140)
- Blackhawks vs. Wild Over/Under: 6.5 (+105o / -125u)
- Blackhawks vs. Wild Moneyline: Blackhawks +180, Wild -220
Blackhawks vs. Wild Preview
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago has truly been a fun story to watch throughout the season.
It started on a heater, and then came back down to earth to get a nice taste of reality. However, things seemed to have balanced out a little bit, going 7-5-1 in the month of January.
I tell you, it’ll be interesting to see if this squad rallies to the playoffs because, led by Connor Bedard, this team can be a must-watch.
Now here comes the ugly part – because all young teams have at least one ugly side.
That 5-on-5 play has been totally brutal. In the past 10 games, the Blackhawks are playing to a league-worst 39.21 xGF% on the offensive side, and a second-worst 3.47 xGA/60 on the defensive side.
Additionally, their special teams have been tremendously underwhelming.
A lot of what has made the Blackhawks stay alive in this hunt has been because of the work of Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi, with both on pace to shatter their career highs in goals.
Goaltending has been a major step forward for this franchise, as Spencer Knight has totally revitalized his career. Down the stretch, he’s been a little iffy, but is reliable enough to stuff easy pucks, playing to a 1.1 GSAx in the past 10 games but a season-long .911 SV%.
Minnesota Wild
On the other side of the ice, Minnesota is going through an inconsistent stretch where it keeps trading wins and losses.
Luckily, the Wild have cushioned themselves nicely where they don’t have to overly worry about their positioning, so for the time being, I’m not worried about them.
The three-headed monster of Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes and Matt Boldy is a force to be reckoned with.
As of right now, Minnesota’s 5-on-5 play has certainly waned, playing below a 50.00 xGF%, with the defense playing at a steady 2.76. With that, the Wild’s special teams have been all over the place, to say the least.
Their power play is dynamic and continues to play at their season-long 24%, but the penalty kill has been wishy-washy, which adds up due to the 76% success rate they have.
One aspect that I will continue to feel comfortable with is Minnesota’s goaltending. Regardless of Jesper Wallstedt’s struggles, he’s shown that he can be a lead netminder with just a little TLC. For the time being, though, Filip Gustavsson has been pretty steady throughout the season.
He probably could be better, as his GSAx has taken a tumble since January 6, letting up an average of 3.5 goals per game in that timeframe.
Blackhawks vs. Wild Prediction
None of these lines pop to me.
Minnesota is a heavy favorite, which makes sense due to Chicago’s poor 5-on-5 play, but the Wild haven’t been a prize either.
So I’m going to opt for a player prop here and pivot towards Vladimir Tarasenko.
If you read my Anytime Goal Scorer piece, I targeted him as he’s been playing exceptionally well this month with a 4.5 expected goals rate, which is the best on the team.
A lot of the books are expecting him to hit over 1.5 shots on goal fairly easily, but there’s a major gap between 2 and 3 shots.
I don’t think it’s out of the question that Tarasenko gets 3 here. He’s hit this number in five of the past six games, and Chicago’s defense is a total sieve.
For someone like Tarasenko, who is finding himself in the right spots, he’s always ready to let it rip. So let’s go for plus money here and bank on the Tank to notch 3 shots on goal.
Pick: Vladimir Tarasenko 3+ Shots on Goal (+170)
