Minnesota Wild vs Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Pick & Prediction 12/18/23

Making on a bet on this NHL game featuring the Wild versus the Penguins? The puck drops at 7:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on BSN. The game will be played at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. The odds for this non-conference game currently have the Penguins as the betting favorite with the over/under line sitting at 6 goals.

MINNESOTA WILD VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5

This game will be played at PPG Paints Arena at 7:00 ET on Monday, December 18th.

WHY BET THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS:

• Coming in as 1.5 goal favorites, our projections have the Penguins picking up a 4-3 win.
• Take the Penguins on the moneyline
• On the spread, we like Wild (+1.5)

Will the Wild Find a Way to Win on the Road?

This season, the Wild have a mark of 12-12-4. When going on the road, Minnesota has a record of 5-8-2 record, while they are 7-4-2 at their home arena. At the moment, they hold the 7th spot in the Western Central division and are ranked 11th in the Western conference.

When it came to the puck line, Minnesota heads in with a 15-13 record. On the road, their mark is 9-6 and their overall home performance is 6-7 vs. the puck line. For the season, the average number of goals per game in matchups featuring Minnesota is 6.3. The season’s average over/under line is currently at 6.4. The Wild come in with an over/under record of 13-13-2.

In their last three road games, Minnesota has averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 2. The team’s record in this stretch was 1-2 while going 2-1.

For their offensive performance, the Wild come in averaging 3 goals per game this season, which is 26th in the NHL. In the category of shots on goal per game, they are 28th in the league. The Wild went 8-5 in games where they had more shots than their opponents. However, in games with fewer shots on goal, their record was 4-7.

Minnesota’s leading scorer is Joel Eriksson Ek. So far, he has 14 goals which is 24th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Eriksson Ek has 7 assists this season.

In terms of defense, the Penguins head into the game ranked 16th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 31.3 shots per game against Pittsburgh. So far, they are 1st in shutouts, achieving 4 shutouts.

Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury gets the start and has made 10 starts this season. His record at this point is 4-5, and his save percentage is 0.511%.

Does Pittsburgh Stand a Chance at Home?

This season, the Penguins have a mark of 13-13-3. When going on the road, Pittsburgh has a record of 7-7-2 record, while they are 6-6-1 at their home arena. This record has them sitting 7th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 13th in the Eastern conference.

In terms of the puck line, Pittsburgh are 12-17. When playing on the road against the puck line, they are 6-10, while their overall home performance is 6-7. This season, Pittsburgh’s games are averaging 5.7 goals per game. Their average over/under line is 6.5. The Penguins currently have an over/under record of 10-17-2.

Through their last three home contests, the Penguins offense has averaged 1 goals per game while allowing an average of 4. Pittsburgh posted an overall record of 1-2 while going 0-3 ATS.

In terms of their offensive performance, the Penguins are averaging 2.8 goals per game this season, putting them in the 27th spot in the NHL. When it comes to shots on goal per game, they are ranked 10th in the league. This year, the Penguins have recorded a 7-7 record in games where they outshoot their opponent. For games with fewer shots on goal, they have 6-6 record.

Pittsburgh will be looking for a good game from Sidney Crosby who leads the team in scoring with 17 goals, ranking 7th in the NHL. Along with his scoring, he has come up with 14 assists so far.

Defensively, the Penguins come into the season ranked 16th in goals allowed. Opponents are averging 31.3 shots per game against Pittsburgh. For the season, they are ranked 1st in shutouts, coming in with 4 shutouts.

Heading into this matchup vs. Minnesota, goalie Tristan Jarry has started 22 games in this season. His current record is 9-11, and his save percentage stands at 0.904%.