The Dallas Stars (43-15-10) and Minnesota Wild (39-19-12) meet in the NHL today. Puck drop is set for 4:00 p.m. ET at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Stars are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 5.5 (-115o / -105u). The Stars are a -122 favorite to win outright, while the Wild are +102 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Stars vs. Wild predictions and NHL picks.
Stars vs. Wild Odds, Pick
| Stars Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +215 | 5.5 -115o / -105u | -122 |
| Wild Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -265 | 5.5 -115o / -105u | +102 |
- Stars vs. Wild Spread: Stars +1.5 (-265), Wild -1.5 (+215)
- Stars vs. Wild Over/Under: 5.5 (-115o / -105u)
- Stars vs. Wild Moneyline: Stars -122, Wild +102
Stars vs. Wild Preview
Dallas Stars
The Stars open a back-to-back tonight in Minnesota before returning home to host Vegas tomorrow, but remain without two of their top forwards, Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz.
Hintz played just one game after the Olympic break before being sidelined yet again, while Rantanen is still working his way back from an injury sustained with Team Finland.
The good news is Rantanen practiced this week; however, he still remains a couple of weeks away from returning to the lineup.
Despite missing two of their top four scorers, Dallas’ hot streak has continued, now 15-1-1 in their last 17 games and four points behind Colorado for the top spot in the Western Conference.
In their absence, Jason Robertson (5 goals, 10 assists) and Wyatt Johnston (8 goals, 7 assists) have 15 points each in 11 games since the break.
While much of the attention goes to Dallas’ scoring ability, the Stars’ defense has actually been slightly better. Over its last 20 games, Dallas tops the NHL with the fewest expected goals against and has allowed just 1.95 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.
Minnesota native Jake Oettinger is expected to start in net today and has been excellent against his hometown team, posting an 8-1-3 record with a 2.26 GAA and a .924 SV% in 14 career appearances.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild head into today’s matchup looking to snap out of a tough stretch, and it’ll have to do so without two key pieces. Kirill Kaprizov is set to miss his second straight game, while Joel Eriksson Ek will be out for a third.
Minnesota has lost four of its last five, and not exactly against elite competition, dropping games to the Flyers, Rangers, Leafs and Blackhawks, all at home.
On paper, the Wild are still generating chances, averaging 35 shots on goal per game over their last five, but quality has lagged somewhat. Even further back, it sits 20th in high-danger shots and 14th in expected goals scored over their last 10 games.
Overall, it also feels like one of those parts of the season where things just aren’t bouncing their way. Matt Boldy and Vladimir Tarasenko both rang shots off the post during a 5-on-3 power play in Thursday's 2-1 loss to Chicago, which was a small snapshot of the recent frustrations.
In addition, head coach John Hynes has been shuffling the lineup. He split the Quinn Hughes–Brock Faber pairing after some shaky defensive play, sliding Hughes alongside Jared Spurgeon and pairing Faber with Jonas Brodin.
Whether that holds going forward remains to be seen, but it’s something interesting to monitor as the Wild experiment with more balanced pairings.
Hughes is on a rare three-game pointless streak, his longest since joining the Wild, but with 44 points in 38 games since the trade, I doubt it lasts much longer.
In goal, Filip Gustavsson is expected to get the start, and he’s been one of the bright spots lately, posting a 2.03 GAA and .918 SV% this month.
Stars vs. Wild Prediction
I’ll start with the fact that Minnesota has struggled this season without Joel Eriksson Ek. In a six-game stretch he missed earlier in the year, the Wild lost four.
Eriksson Ek’s two-way game is critical, and his absence is especially costly in the faceoff circle, where Minnesota ranks 30th at just 46.8%.
With Kirill Kaprizov also out, the Wild’s scoring upside is limited, particularly against Jake Oettinger, who, as I mentioned above, has been excellent against the Wild in his career with a 2.26 GAA and .924 SV%.
On the other side, Filip Gustavsson has allowed more than two goals in only two of his last seven starts.
If that’s not enough, both teams are tied for the third-fewest goals allowed per 60 minutes over their last 10 games.
Adding it all up, I see multiple avenues to keep this one under.
Pick: Under 5.5 (-105, DraftKings)
