The Detroit Red Wings and the Minnesota Wild will wrap up their season series when they meet at Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday night.
Detroit beat Minnesota 2-1 on October 29, with Lucas Raymond potting both goals for the victors. However, Detroit has lost six of its last eight straight-up, while Minny has won six of its last eight overall.
Who will prevail in this grudge match? Find out in our free NHL betting picks and predictions for the Red Wings vs Wild on Wednesday, December 14.
Red Wings vs Wild best odds
Red Wings vs Wild picks and predictions
It’s no secret that Kirill Kaprizov is the engine that drives this Minnesota Wild offense. He leads his team in goals by a healthy margin (17 to 11 over Matt Boldy) as well as points (35 to 29 over Mats Zuccarello), and ranks 10th and 12th, respectively, in those two categories among all NHL players.
Unfortunately for bettors, oddsmakers are well aware of this, resulting in some disadvantageous prop wager opportunities against the Red Wings this Wednesday night. Kaprizov is listed at below even money to score a goal, and is only +120 to score at least two points. However, there is a relative bargain to be had on Kaprizov in this spot, and it occurs in the power play points market.
“Kirill The Thrill” is listed at -110 to score at least one point on the power play, a far cry from the frustrating bet being offered on his overall points in this tilt. Kaprizov has been doing his best work on the power play of late, so it stands to reason that if he doesn’t tally a point on the man advantage, he might get held off the scoresheet anyway.
The former Calder Trophy recipient had a seven-game goal-scoring streak going from November 23 to December 4, and four of his seven goals in that span came while a man up. He also notched three power-play assists in that stretch, and has grabbed two more helpers on the man advantage over his last three contests.
In fact, nine of the last 15 points Kaprizov has registered over a span of 10 games have occurred during a Minnesota power play. Look for this trend to continue in St. Paul on Wednesday night.
My best bet: Kirill Kaprizov Over 0.5 power-play points (-110)
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Red Wings vs Wild moneyline analysis
The Wild look like a solid addition to any parlay on Wednesday night, even though their low moneyline price makes them tough to take straight up.
It’s hard to have faith in a Red Wings side that’s dropped six of their last eight overall, including a 1-0 loss to the Hurricanes just last night. This Detroit team figures to be tired and could turn to uninspiring back netminder Alex Nedeljkovic (4.09 GAA, .880 SV%) in this spot, as starter Ville Husso played on Tuesday.
The trends don’t like the Red Wings either, as the Original Six squad are 19-40 in their last 59 games played on the second half of a back-to-back,
The Wild are a slightly better bet to cover the puck line of -1.5 goals at +107, as they’ve done so in four of their last eight victories. But bettors may want to wait until the goalies are announced (Marc-Andre Fleury should start for Minnesota, but it’s not official as of this writing) to make their final decision.
Red Wings vs Wild Over/Under analysis
The Red Wings have gone below the total in six straight games, and the loss of Dylan Larkin (hand) won’t help matters for them. But that trend could still be bucked on Wednesday night.
Detroit has cashed in on nine of their last 35 power play chances (25.7%), while the Wild have turned back only 19 of their opponent’s last 27 chances (70.4%), so there’s an avenue for the Wings to avoid being shut out for the second straight night.
Meanwhile, Minnesota has scored at least one power-play goal in nine of its last 10 tilts, converting at a 33.3% rate in that span (11 of 33). It’ll take on a modest Detroit penalty kill that’s surrendered at least one man-advantage marker in five of its last seven overall, and killed off only 10 of 15 chances in that span (66.7%).
In addition to Kaprizov, Mats Zuccarello has had a hot stick in December, notching a point in seven straight games. Four of his nine overall points in that span have come on the power play.
Red Wings vs Wild betting trend to know
The home team is 9-4 in the last 13 meetings between these two squads. Find more NHL betting trends for Red Wings vs Wild.
Red Wings vs Wild game info
| Location: | Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN |
| Date: | Wednesday, December 14, 2022 |
| Puck drop: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TNT |
