This matchup has huge implications for Central division standings and both teams have been trending in opposite directions as of late. The Dallas Stars have been playing some of their best hockey of the season and the Minnesota Wild have lost five of their last six games.
The Stars are a very good hockey club that made it to the Stanley Cup Final only two years ago. They are a team that should make the playoffs and they are finally starting to play like it.
Minnesota was one of the hottest trending teams in the league, but their road trip to Canada seems to have cooled their momentum on the season.
That is why we're leaning on the road underdogs in our free NHL picks and predictions for the Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild.
Stars vs Wild odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Dallas Stars opened up as +120 underdogs but the line has moved in Minnesota’s favor, making the Stars +130 dogs now and having the Wild at -155 on home ice.
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.
Stars vs Wild predictions
Predictions made on 3/06/2022 at 11:02 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Stars vs Wild game info
• Location: XCel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
• Date: Sunday, March 6, 2022
• Puck drop: 4:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet, TNT
Stars vs Wild betting preview
Key injuries
Stars: Tyler Seguin F (Questionable), Andrej Sekera D (Out).
Wild: Jordan Greenway F (Out), Mats Zuccarello F (Questionable), Matt DUmba D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Stars vs Wild head-to-head record
Stars: 2-3-1 SU, 19 goals for.
Wild: 4-2-0 SU, 26 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Stars are 4-1 SU in their last five games. Find more NHL betting trends for Stars vs. Wild.
Stars vs Wild picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Stars and Wild have met twice this season the home team coming out victorious in both contests. The last time they met was December 20, in Dallas, where the home team won by a score of 7-4.
A lot has changed since that game, the Stars weren’t playing all that well in December, but since their last matchup, Dallas has gone 16-8-1 and Minnesota is 13-9-1 in that span.
The Stars have won four of their last five and have played against pretty strong opponents, for the most part. In this five-game span, they have scored 16 goals and allowed 11.
Jake Oettinger has started to prove himself in his sophomore season. Oettinger has a record of 18-6-1 and has been the backbone of this Stars team. Another youngster for Dallas that has stepped up in his sophomore season is forward, Jason Robertson. Robertson is second on the team in scoring with 26 goals and 25 assists in 46 games. The only player with more points than Robertson is the veteran forward, Joe Pavelski, who has 21 goals and 36 assists.
Minnesota has been a strong offensive team all year long, but they might be without their second-leading scorer, Mats Zuccarello, as he is questionable for today’s game. If Zuccarello is out, which he most likely will be, that will be a huge hole to fill in the Wild’s lineup.
Minnesota hasn’t named a starting goalie yet, but either way, Oettinger gives Dallas the advantage in this one. Cam Talbot and Kaapo Kahkonen have been solid for Minnesota this year, but Oettinger has been a difference-maker.
I like the Stars to steal two points in Minnesota as road underdogs.
Prediction: Stars ML (+130)
Over/Under analysis
It is very interesting that the line in this game is at 6.5 right now. I know these teams have had some high-scoring affairs thus far this season, but now that we are in March and both teams are gearing up for the playoffs, it should be a little tighter.
Dallas is a stronger team defensively than the Wild, with the Stars allowing 2.87 goals per game, while the Wild are currently averaging 3.17 goals against.
Dallas does a great job at preventing scoring chances against, even though they have one of the better goalies in the league to bail them out. The Stars rank 11th in shots against, giving up 30.8 to their opponent, while also only giving up 10.42 high-danger chances.
Having Oettinger in the blue paint adds an extra level of security as he has a .922 save percentage and ranks 15th with a +5.7 Goals Saved Above Expected. As good as Minnesota has been offensively this season, they will have a very tough time getting anything through the young stud in net for Dallas, especially without Zuccarello.
Talbot and Kahkonen have both been solid this year, but they have been very inconsistent as of late. Kahkonen started their last game against the Sabres and allowed four goals on 37 shots in a 5-4 loss to Buffalo. Talbot started the game before that on Thursday in Philadelphia and he allowed four goals on 30 shots.
Both goalies are coming off of poor performances but being back on home ice should give them a boost of confidence as both of these games were played on the road.
Overall, Kahkonen and Talbot have been good goalies this year. Talbot has appeared in more games as he is 20-12-1 with a .907 SV% and a -3.8 GSAx. Kahkonen hasn’t played as much, but he does have the better numbers. He is 12-6-2 with a .915 SV% and a +2.9 GSAx. Whichever goalie gets the start should be able to have a strong bounceback game
Prediction: Under 6.5 (-115)
Best bet
Even though Minnesota has been the better team when you look at records, there is no denying the fact that the Dallas Stars have been the better team as of late.
It's all about playing your best hockey at the right time and that is exactly what’s happening in Dallas, while the opposite seems to be happening in Minnesota. If you look at the last five games, both teams are trending in opposite directions.
Minnesota is stronger in the offensive end, but Jake Oettinger will make things difficult on them. Dallas has a ton of guys on their roster capable of scoring goals, so it’s not like there is a clear-cut advantage for the Wild.
With the way the Wild’s goalies have been playing as of late, it is very hard to trust them to get a win against a team that is on their best stretch of the season. I am very confident in how the Stars have been playing and I think they have too much value to pass up on today. Back them on the road tonight.
Pick: Stars ML (+130)
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