Two of the league’s top teams will meet in Saint Paul tonight as the Minnesota Wild welcome the Florida Panthers to the Xcel Energy Center. Florida won the earlier meeting at home back in November in a high-scoring 5-4 final.
Do the Panthers deserve to be road favorites with a 10-12 SU road record? Can the Wild make a push and contend for the top spot in the West? Find out in our free NHL picks and predictions for Panthers vs. Wild on Friday, February 18.
Panthers vs Wild odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
Florida opened at -120 and has since gained a little confidence in the market with a slight move to -130. The total opened at 6.5 and is looking like it could hit 7. In the last meeting in Florida back in November, Florida closed as a -145 favorite with a total of 6 in a game that saw nine goals.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Panthers vs Wild predictions
Predictions made on 2/18/2022 at 9:50 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Panthers vs Wild game info
• Location: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN
• Date: Friday, February 18, 2022
• Puck drop: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: HULU
Panthers vs Wild betting preview
Key injuries
Panthers: Noel Acciari F (Questionable), Joe Thornton F (Out).
Wild: Matt Dumba D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Panthers vs Wild head-to-head record (since 2017)
Panthers: 4-4 SU, 28 goals for.
Wild: 4-4 SU, 33 goals for
Betting trend to know
The Panthers are 1-7 SU in the last eight meetings in Minnesota. Find more NHL betting trends for Panthers vs. Wild.
Panthers vs Wild picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Moneyline analysis
Two of the league’s best offenses will meet for the second time this season as the Panthers continue their road trip with a stop in Minnesota to take on the Wild.
Minnesota currently sits second in the West behind the Avalanche but is facing a ton of pressure from the teams nipping at its heels. All Minnesota has done this year is sport a Top-3 offense and the league’s sixth-best point percentage. Head coach Dean Evason has done an incredible job with this team and has nurtured the offensive side of the game. It’s a big reason he's in contention for Coach of the Year.
The Wild are scoring 4.55 goals per game at home this season which is the second-best mark in hockey and with goaltender Cam Talbot playing solidly in net, Minnesota may be playing its best hockey right now.
The addition of rookie winger Matt Boldy has turned a good team into a great team as the 20-year-old skater has 14 points over his first 14 NHL games and notched his first hat-trick just two games ago. Boldy's insertion turned Minnesota’s top-nine forward groups into one of the best in all of hockey.
The Wild have also gotten healthier on the blue line with Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon back to full health. The loss of Matt Dumba is notable but this team has played the majority of the season without all of their best D-men in the lineup and Dumba's absence doesn't shake us much with the home dogs.
Florida is coming off a massive OT win versus the Hurricanes but needed another miracle goal in the death to send it to extra time. Florida scores a league-best 4.73 goals per game at home but this team isn’t nearly as potent on the road with a 3.27 goals per game mark. At home, the Cats have a plus-53 goal differential while that number slips to plus-4 on the road.
Sergei Bobrovsky’s trends also favor home ice, as the Russian goalie is an incredible 16-1 SU at home while just 8-6 SU on the road.
Despite the success, Minnesota seems to be still undervalued by the oddsmakers. This game should be closer to a pick ‘em but with the +110 line, is a 20-point difference. Minnesota was also a +100 home dog versus the Capitals early in the season and won. Minnesota should not be a home underdog to anyone in the league, including the Avalanche. The Wild have won six straight on home ice and can keep things in check with Talbot, who has 2.17 GAA over his last five starts.
Both teams rank in the Top 5 in goal differential at 5 on 5, and each team has similarly ranked special teams, but only one is paying +110 at home versus a side that is close to a .500 road team. Let’s go Wild.
Prediction: Wild ML (+110)
Over/Under analysis
The first meeting saw a total of nine goals, and two of those coming with the goalie pulled. The total closed at 6, which was obviously a bad number but is 7 too much of an over-correction?
That meeting saw just three minor penalties called, as both teams played a fairly clean game. Neither team’s power play is exceptional and both sit outside the Top 10 which should help keep this game from being a track meet.
Florida is coming off a competitive game with another elite team in Carolina that saw three goals scored over the game's first 59 minutes. Due to their difference in road scoring, Florida has actually been profitable to the Under on the road this season with a 10-12 O/U mark.
Contradicting that, however, is Minnesota, who is a league-best 16-4 to the Over at home this season. With two of the league’s best offenses, this is going to be a very public-bet Over and has hit 7 at some books after opening at 6.5. At 7, this is just too high of a number for us to swallow in a game between two of the best teams in hockey. The Wild have allowed 10 goals over their last two games and Evason will surely want to fix the leak.
Talbot will be looking to rebound after a tough game versus the Jets while Bobrovsky looked solid against the Canes two days ago. Talbot will likely see a ton of rubber as he usually does, but he had allowed just five goals over four games before the clunker versus the Jets.
This is more of a lean for us, but we would be taking a long look at the Under if and when this total hits 7 across the board. As for now, this is a pass for us at 6.5 but an Under at 7.
Prediction: Under 7 (-130)
Best bet
The Panthers lead the league in shots per game at 36.5 while the Wild allow nearly 32 shots per game at home which is just outside the Top 10. In the previous meeting, the Panthers fired 37 shots on net while also giving up 39 themselves.
Aleksander Barkov did not suit up in that first meeting but has been incredibly consistent with his shooting production of late as the forward has at least four shots on net in eight of his last nine games and is 8-1 to his shots-on-goal prop over that stretch. He has seven goals over his last nine games and has a ton of confidence shooting the puck right now. With most Florida skaters’ SOG props heavily chalked, Barkov at +100 Over 3.5 is the best of the lot.
Pick: Aleksander Barkov Over 3.5 shots (+105)
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