Wild vs Canadiens

Kirill Kaprizov and the Wild hit Montreal riding a two-game win streak after high-energy road wins in Buffalo and Toronto, but those victories mean they arrive on the second half of a back-to-back, third game in four nights, and still without Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Jonas Brodin and Marcus Johansson, while the Canadiens are rested off a dramatic comeback win in Ottawa and have gone 6-4 over their last 10.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/min/minnesota-wild)) Montreal’s only notable current injury is Patrik Laine on IR, leaving Nick Suzuki centering a healthy top six that includes Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky in front of an upgraded blue line featuring Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson, whereas Minnesota’s depth has been stretched despite Kaprizov, Vladimir Tarasenko and Mats Zuccarello remaining dangerous.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/injuries/_/name/mtl/montreal-canadiens)) Historically, the Wild have absolutely owned this matchup (16-1 against Montreal over the past decade, and 23-7-1-2 all-time), with Kaprizov piling up 13 points in the last 10 team meetings, but that dominance is now colliding with a much-improved Canadiens roster.([statmuse.com](https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/minnesota-wild-vs-montreal-canadiens-record-last-10-years?utm_source=openai)) Both clubs are beyond the season’s halfway mark and squarely in playoff position — Minnesota second in the Central with 65 points, Montreal third in the Atlantic with 61 — so this sets up as a focused, statement-type spot for a Canadiens team trying to consolidate home-ice leverage in the East.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/min/minnesota-wild)) With the scheduling edge, home ice, and Minnesota’s cluster of core injuries outweighing the Wild’s historical edge, I’m willing to lay the Canadiens at -143 on the moneyline, but because that price is close to market-implied win probability against a structurally sound Wild side, I grade this position a solid B for both likelihood and value.([bleachernation.com](https://www.bleachernation.com/picks/2026/01/20/canadiens-vs-wild-prediction-picks-live-odds-and-moneyline-tuesday-january-20-2026/?utm_source=openai)) Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/01/2026 09:23

Recent form screams offense — Minnesota’s last 10 have featured roughly 4.6 goals scored and 4.9 allowed per game, while Montreal has been around 3.9 for and 4.1 against over that same span — which, along with the Canadiens’ top-five scoring rate and top-10 power play, explains why the total sits at 6 with the Over juiced to -138.([dailyfantasyfuel.com](https://www.dailyfantasyfuel.com/nhl/matchup-analysis/minnesota-wild-montreal-canadiens-min-mtl-20260120?utm_source=openai)) Yet both teams are firmly in playoff position now and increasingly default to tighter, playoff-style structure in cross-conference games, and the absence of elite finishers Matt Boldy for Minnesota and Patrik Laine for Montreal quietly removes two high-danger shooters from the equation even as Kaprizov, Caufield and Suzuki remain focal points.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/injuries/_/name/min/minnesota-wild)) The Wild’s season-long defensive profile — 2.80 goals against per game with top-10 suppression numbers — combined with an injury-thinned forward group and a likely reliance on Filip Gustavsson to manage risk on the back end of a road back-to-back, points toward Dean Evason keeping pace and chance quality in check, while Montreal’s modest 25.9 shots per game means they usually need power plays or breakdowns rather than sheer volume to push totals over.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/min/minnesota-wild)) With market models already projecting something close to 6 goals and the Over priced aggressively, grabbing Under 6 at 100 offers a slight but real edge between probability and payout, so I grade the Under a B+ in terms of both win likelihood and monetary value.([bleachernation.com](https://www.bleachernation.com/picks/2026/01/20/canadiens-vs-wild-nhl-best-bets-odds-prediction-and-pick-jan-20/?utm_source=openai)) Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/01/2026 09:23

Given that Minnesota is 16-1 against Montreal over the last 10 years and has a long history of keeping this matchup under control territorially, taking the Wild at +1.5 on the puckline at -200 aligns with both the series trend and their general tendency to stay within one goal even when they lose.([statmuse.com](https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/minnesota-wild-vs-montreal-canadiens-record-last-10-years?utm_source=openai)) Even with Boldy, Eriksson Ek and Brodin sidelined, the Wild still profile as a top-10 defensive team on the season, and they can lean on Kaprizov, Tarasenko and a mobile blue line featuring Brock Faber and Quinn Hughes to generate enough offense to avoid getting run out of the building, especially if Gustavsson starts again behind their structure.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/injuries/_/name/min/minnesota-wild)) On the other side, Montreal’s mix of high-end scoring and leaky own-zone play — evidenced by a top-five goals-for rate but bottom-10 goals-against figure — has produced plenty of one-goal wins and losses, including recent overtime nail-biters, suggesting that even if the rested Canadiens edge the result at Bell Centre, Minnesota is more likely to hang inside the number than to be blown out.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/mtl/montreal-canadiens)) Because the price on +1.5 is steep and limits upside despite what I view as a high cash rate, I grade this puckline bet a B-, suitable for bettors comfortable paying a premium for margin in what projects as another tight, playoff-tinged one-goal game. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/01/2026 09:23