A Central Division showdown awaits at the Enterprise Center on Saturday afternoon as the Minnesota Wild visit the St. Louis Blues.
The Wild have caught fire in the homestretch, winning 12 of their last 15 overall, but the Blues are arguably the hotter of the two teams, having won seven in a row and nine of their last 10.
The bookmakers essentially see this game as a coin-flip, but which side should bettors be on? Find out in our free NHL picks and predictions for Wild vs Blues on Saturday, April 16.
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Wild vs Blues odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Blues opened on Friday afternoon as extremely narrow consensus favorites at -107, with the Wild at -105. St. Louis has taken action at most sportsbooks since and has moved to as high as -115.
The consensus total opened at 6 goals, but the Over has been bet hard, and now most sportsbooks are offering 6.5 goals as their total, with the Under juiced.
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.
Wild vs Blues predictions
Predictions made on 4/16/2022 at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Wild vs Blues game info
• Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
• Date: Saturday, April 16, 2022
• Puck drop: 3:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ABC, ESPN+
Wild vs Blues betting preview
Key injuries
Wild: Matt Dumba (Questionable), Jordan Greenway (Questionable), Jon Merrill (Out).
Blues: MacKenzie MacEachern (Questionable), Tyler Bozak (Out), Scott Perunovich (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Wild vs Blues head-to-head record
Wild: 2-5-3, 26 goals for.
Blues: 8-1-1, 45 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Blues are 20-7 in their last 27 games against Western Conference opponents. Find more NHL betting trends for Wild vs. Blues.
Wild vs Blues 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 Blues’ offense should overwhelm the Wild on Saturday en route to another victory over their division rivals.
St. Louis has scored no fewer than four goals in each of their last 10 games. That includes its 4-3 overtime victory against Minnesota on April 8.
No Blues skater has been hotter than forward Robert Thomas, who is in the midst of an 11-game point streak. He’s gathered six goals and 17 assists in this impeccable stretch.
Not to be outdone is Vladimir Tarasenko, who recorded a hat-trick when last seen against the Buffalo Sabres, and has tallied 13 points in his last six contests.
The Blues also beat the Wild in the Winter Classic, 6-4, and are now 8-1-1 in their last 10 meetings. Keep backing them.
Prediction: Blues moneyline (-109 at BetRivers)
Over/Under analysis
Over bettors have cashed in six of the last seven meetings between the Blues and the Wild, but signs are pointing toward the Under being the play on Saturday afternoon.
The Under is 10-4-1 in Minnesota’s last 15 overall, thanks in no small part to their outstanding goaltending in that span. Cam Talbot and Marc-Andre Fleury have combined to allow a mere 32 goals in this stretch.
Ville Husso is expected in net for St. Louis, and he turned back 35 of the Wild’s 38 shots on goal in his club’s most recent victory over this rival. He sports an excellent 2.23 GAA and .935 save percentage through six games this month.
Minnesota owns the NHL’s fifth-best offense by goals per game at 3.64, but that figure drops to 3.29 when they play on the road.
Prediction: Under 6.5 (-120 at PointsBet)
Best bet
One incredible advantage the Blues have had over the Wild of late is their prowess on the power play, which is 10 for 21 (47.6%) in their last 10 games with Minnesota.
St. Louis’ man-advantage unit has scored in seven of their last 22 chances (31.8%) during their seven-game winning streak. That’s part of the reason why the Blues have been so dominant in this stretch, as their goal differential in this sample is +21.
The Wild’s shorthanded unit could be in for a long Saturday, as they’ve surrendered goals in seven of their last 15 chances for a horrible penalty-kill rate of 53.3%.
Minnesota will have to stay out of the penalty box if they want to compete with St. Louis in this spot. Even if they do, the Blues should still prove best.
Pick: Blues moneyline (-109 at BetRivers)
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