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The San Jose Sharks (7-9-1) and Minnesota Wild (11-3-3) will 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 broadcast live on NHL Network.
The Wild are favored at -250 on the moneyline, with the Sharks +202 to pull off the upset. The over/under is set at 6.5 (+102o / -124u).
Let's get into our Sharks vs. Wild predictions and NHL picks.
Sharks vs. Wild Prediction
Our San Jose vs. Minnesota best bet is on Minnesota to cover the spread, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your NHL bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NHL odds page.
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Sharks vs Wild Odds
- Sharks vs. Wild puck line: Wild -1.5 (-104), Sharks +1.5 (-118)
- Sharks vs. Wild over/under: 6.5 (+102o / -124u)
- Sharks vs. Wild moneyline: Sharks +202, Wild -250
- Sharks vs. Wild best bet: Wild -1.5 (-104, FanDuel)
Sharks vs. Wild Preview
The Wild have to be excited to be back home. Minnesota has played seven of its last eight games on the road and 12 of its first 17 this season. Tonight against San Jose and tomorrow night against Tampa Bay will mark just the second time this season the Wild have played two consecutive home games.
That said, Minnesota has handled a brutal schedule and started the season extremely well. The Wild sit tied with Edmonton atop the Western Conference and just three points behind Carolina for the league's best record.
On top of that, Minnesota hasn't just been winning games. The Wild have done so convincingly, tying for the third-best goal differential at +18 while leading for nearly 80 minutes more than any other team.
Jesper Wallstedt leads the NHL with +12.1 goals saved above expected and has inserted himself into the early-season Vezina conversation. The top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy continues to be one of the best in the league, outscoring opponents 14-0 at 5-on-5 with a 67.2% expected goal share across 182 minutes together, per MoneyPuck.
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The Sharks, on the other hand, still appear to be figuring things out. San Jose ranks 29th in expected goal share at 42.86% and has lost five of its last six games, with the lone win coming against Vancouver. The Sharks have been outscored 24-11 during that stretch.
As mentioned earlier, Minnesota is on the front end of a back-to-back, with what could be considered a bigger matchup against Tampa Bay tomorrow. That means either Calvin Pickard or Wallstedt could get the start tonight.
Either way, I like the matchup for Minnesota. San Jose is also playing the first half of a back-to-back, with a game in Dallas tomorrow, so the Sharks' net is up in the air as well.
If you want to wait for the goalie announcements, you might get a better price if Pickard starts. However, I'm grabbing the puck line now given how often the Wild have played with a lead.
Pick: Wild -1.5 (-104, FanDuel)
