Minnesota Wild Look to Avenge Loss to Columbus Blue Jackets in Rematch
The Minnesota Wild will face the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, in what promises to be an exciting matchup. Minnesota holds a 16-21 record,
Game outlook
The Minnesota Wild will face the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, in what promises to be an exciting matchup. Minnesota holds a 16-21 record, whereas the Blue Jackets stand at 13-27. Earlier this season, Columbus emerged victorious in the teams' lone matchup. The puck drops at 7 PM EST, and Minnesota is currently the betting favorite with the lines opening at -125 and not having moved since.
Betting Odds
Moneyline: Wild -125 | Blue Jackets +111
Spread: Wild -1.5 (+190) | Blue Jackets +1.5 (-231)
Total: Over/Under 6 (-110)
Based on the moneyline, the implied probability that Minnesota will win straight-up is 56%.
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota was unable to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning, despite being a +110 underdog against them, and only managed to score one goal in the 4-1 loss. For the season, the Wild's offense and defense have been average, with Kirill Kaprizov's 34 points leading the way. Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson have posted records of 6-8-2 and 10-9-2 respectively, with solid GAA and SV% numbers.
Columbus Blue Jackets Analysis
Led by Johnny Gaudreau (25 points) and Zach Werenski (25 points) the offense has improved recently; however the defense and goaltending have been weak for the Blue Jackets this season. Goaltender Daniil Tarasov made 39 saves on 41 shots against Philadelphia, and the team ranks #30 in shots against per game. Elvis Merzlikins has a record of 7-8-6 with a 3.25 GAA and a .907 SV %, while Spencer Martin has a record of 3-8-1 with a 3.65 GAA and .887 SV%. The Columbus Blue Jackets went from being a +150 underdog against the Philadelphia Flyers to coming out victorious in a 3-2 shootout. Damon Severson and Jake Bean scored the two goals in the third period that put them back in the game, while Daniil Tarasov saved 39 out of 41 shots faced. The Blue Jackets are currently ranked 19th overall with a 13-19-8 record and rank #20 for offense (averaging 3.08 goals per game) and #30 for defense (allowing an average of 3.69 points per game). Johnny Gaudreau and Zach Werenski are tied for leading the team's points (25) and Ivan Provorov has 21 points. However, the defense and goaltending have been poor all season long, ranking 30th in goals against per game and shots against per game. Elvis Merzlikins and Spencer Martin are the current goaltenders, having 7-8-6 and 3-8-1 records, respectively.