Minnesota Wild vs Carolina Hurricanes Betting Pick & Prediction 1/4/25

Making on a bet on this NHL game featuring the Wild versus the Hurricanes? The puck drops at 7:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on ESPN+. The game will be played at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC. This non-conference matchup has an over/under of 5.5 goals, and the Hurricanes are favored by -1.5 against the Wild.

MINNESOTA WILD VS CAROLINA HURRICANES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Carolina Hurricanes -1.5

This game will be played at Lenovo Center at 7:00 ET on Saturday, January 4th.

WHY BET THE CAROLINA HURRICANES:

• With the Hurricanes being favored by 1.5, our NHL analytics models has this one playing out 4-3 in favor of the Hurricanes.
• Take the Hurricanes on the moneyline
• On the spread, we like Wild (+1.5)

Can Minnesota Deliver Being Underdogs on the Road?

With a 2-1 overtime win against the Maple Leafs, the Wild moved to 24-11-4 on the season. Minnesota, favored on the puck line, didn’t cover, and the total of 3 goals fell short of the pre-game line of 6.

Ryan Hartman scored first for the Wild, at 9:41 in the first period, but the Maple Leafs tied it up with just 52 seconds left in the period. Matt Boldy secured the win with a goal at 2:14 in overtime.

Ryan Hartman netted his third goal of the season, scoring 9:41 into the first period. Matt Boldy followed with his sixth goal, which came 2:14 into overtime to secure the 2-1 win over the Maple Leafs.

Jared Spurgeon picked up two assists, bringing his season total to three. The Wild took 33 shots on goal but were held scoreless in the second and third periods before Boldy’s overtime winner. Minnesota had 15 giveaways in the game.

Defensively, the Wild will look to carry momentum from their previous game, where they allowed just one goal to the Maple Leafs. Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves with a 96.4% save percentage, while the defense contributed 7 takeaways and 22 hits. The only goal they conceded came on a power play late in the first period.

Can Carolina Lock in a Home Win?

Carolina improved to 23-13-2 with a 4-2 road win over the Capitals. The Hurricanes covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, and the total of 6 goals matched the pre-game line.

After taking a 1-0 lead, the Hurricanes allowed two goals in the final minute of the first period. They responded with three unanswered goals, including an empty-netter, to secure the win.

Carolina fired 45 shots on goal in their 4-2 win over the Capitals, with Dmitry Orlov scoring twice on just 3 shots. Orlov now has 3 goals this season. Martin Necas added his 6th goal and also picked up his 12th assist on Orlov’s second goal. Andrei Svechnikov capped the scoring with his 6th goal, an empty-netter.

Carolina’s first goal came at 5:59 in the first period, with Necas scoring again at 17:31 in the second. Orlov’s second goal followed at 14:34 in the second period, and Svechnikov’s empty-netter came with just 9 seconds left in the game. The Hurricanes recorded 14 giveaways in the game.

Carolina’s defense had a tough end to the first period, allowing two goals in the final minute, but they tightened up after that, giving up none in the second and third periods. Pyotr Kochetkov finished with 19 saves and a 90.5% save percentage. The Hurricanes’ defense also recorded 7 takeaways and 10 hits.