The St. Louis Blues host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday evening at the Enterprise Center.
While oddsmakers have Minnesota as a -120 favorite, my Wild vs. Blues predictions are fading Mats Zuccarello. Find out why in my NHL picks for October 15 below.
Wild vs Blues prediction
My best bet
Mats Zuccarello Under 0.5 points (+140 at DraftKings)
My analysis
We rarely see a 5.5-goal total for a regular season game in today's NHL but that's what we're seeing today. Part of the reason for this relatively low total is that goaltender Jordan Binnington is guarding the cage for the St. Louis Blues.
Dating back to last season, Binnington boasts a .920 SV% and 2.70 GAA over his past 20 games. This success is likely to continue against the Minnesota Wild, a team he's 13-4-1 against through 19 career meetings with a .914 SV% and 2.54 GAA.
Specifically, I want to fade Wild forward Mats Zuccarello. After starting the season hot, Zuccarello cooled off with a 0-point performance in his latest game against the Jets.
He skates on the first line alongside Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi. While that's obviously a talented grouping, that line is going to be matched up against St. Louis’ Brandon Saad-Robert Thomas-Jake Neighbours line, one that carried an above-league-average 2.45 xGA/60 last season.
Finally, a large percentage of Zuccarello’s production comes on the power play, which may struggle against a St. Louis team that ranks in the top half of the league in both penalty minutes taken per game and penalty kill percentage.
Wild vs Blues same-game parlay (SGP)
Mats Zuccarello Under 0.5 points
Kirill Kaprizov Under 1.5 points
Blues moneyline
There is a strong correlation between Zuccarello recording zero points and linemate Kirill Kaprizov falling to record two points. Outside of this basic correlation, both skate together on the first power-play unit as well.
If we're fading Minnesota’s top line, then another correlated outcome would be for the Blues to win this game. This season, St. Louis outranks the Wild in goals scored per game, power play percentage, faceoff percentage, shots on goal allowed per game, and penalty kill percentage.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Wild vs Blues odds
Wild vs Blues live odds
Wild vs Blues opening odds
- Puck line: Minnesota -1.5 (+210) | St. Louis +1.54 (-258)
- Moneyline: Minnesota -120 | St. Louis +100
- Over/Under: Over 6 | Under 6
Wild vs Blues moneyline and Over/Under analysis
- Minnesota opened as a -120 favorite and has stayed in that range as of Tuesday afternoon.
- The total opened at 6 and remains at that number at the time of writing.
- This total can also be found at 5.5 at other books, so if you like the Under, I would suggest playing the 6 before it drops across the market.
Wild vs Blues trend
There have been four or fewer (excluding shootout) total goals scored in three of the past four meetings between these two clubs. Find more NHL betting trends for Wild vs. Blues.
Wild vs Blues game info
| Location: | Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO |
| Date: | Tuesday, 10-15-2024 |
| Puck drop: | 7:40 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN |
Wild vs Blues latest injuries
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