Predators vs Wild

Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy have powered Minnesota’s recent seven-game winning streak before Sunday’s loss, and while Nashville arrives on a confidence-boosting two-game heater and a 9-4 run over its last 13, the Wild’s 13-4-4 home record and +17 goal differential stack up better than the Predators’ 5-7-2 mark on the road and negative goal differential. Minnesota is dealing with blue-line and depth injuries (Jonas Brodin, Jake Middleton, Marcus Foligno and others), but its top-end talent remains intact, and Kaprizov has historically punished Nashville with well over a point per game in the matchup, while Filip Forsberg has done similar damage to the Wild yet still hasn’t flipped the series momentum in recent seasons. With Filip Gustavsson in strong December form and owning solid numbers versus the Predators, and the Wild sitting third in the Central with 49 points compared to Nashville’s 34, this pre-break divisional spot still leans toward the healthier, deeper home side even if the Predators’ recent surge makes an upset more live than their overall record suggests; I’d play Minnesota at -195 down to about -210 and grade it a B for solid win probability but limited payout at this price. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 23/12/2025 09:41am

Both teams enter hot, with Minnesota 7-3-0 in its last 10 while averaging about 3.7 goals for and 2.2 against, and Nashville also 7-3-0 over that span at roughly 3.5 goals for and 2.5 against, which puts each club’s typical game total right around this 6-goal number even before accounting for the Predators’ 3.62 goals per game across their 9-4 stretch and the Wild’s potent top-six. Minnesota’s power play clicking above 23 percent against a Nashville side that’s been taking close to five penalties a night lately, combined with the Predators’ own revived attack led by Forsberg, Steven Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly, points toward a whistle-driven game that should generate man-advantage chances on both sides despite the Wild’s recent defensive tightening. Injuries on Minnesota’s back end and among its checking forwards chip away at their suppressive ceiling, while Gustavsson’s stellar December and Juuse Saros’ quality in net temper the scoring outlook just enough that a 4-3 or 4-2 (empty-net risk) type Wild win feels more likely than the low-event grind we saw earlier in the year. With both offenses rolling and recent totals data clustering around or just above 6, I lean to Over 6 at -110 with a B- grade, acknowledging the push risk if the goaltending duel fully materializes. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 23/12/2025 09:41am

Nashville’s recent surge and long-term comfort against Minnesota make the Predators an appealing puckline side, as they’ve gone 9-4 in their last 13 overall and historically hold the edge in the series while playing the Wild to a 3-2 overtime finish in the first meeting this season, part of a stretch where Nashville is 4-3-3 in the last 10 head-to-head and 1-1-3 in its last five trips to Saint Paul with four of those requiring extra time. Minnesota’s seven-game winning streak before the Avalanche loss underscores its ceiling, but the current injury list that includes Jonas Brodin, Middleton and Foligno softens their ability to consistently pull away, especially against a Predators team whose scoring has been spread out beyond Forsberg and Stamkos and whose penalty kill remains a top-10 unit. With both clubs 7-3-0 in their past 10 and each allowing under three goals per game in that span, this profiles more like another one-goal, playoff-style divisional tilt than a Wild romp, so I prefer taking Nashville at +1.5 goals at -160 rather than laying the Wild -1.5 at plus money, grading the Predators puckline a B+ for its strong likelihood of cashing even if Minnesota ultimately protects home ice. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 23/12/2025 09:41am