Two teams that both played last night, the Minnesota Wild and the New York Rangers clash at Madison Square Garden in an East-West tilt. The action will get going at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, February 23 and it can be watched live on TVA Sports.
Minnesota Wild at New York Rangers Odds
Minnesota (-155) is currently favored over New York (+135) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -120 for the over and +100 for the under.
Minnesota is 33-27 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this year. 31 of its matches have gone over the total, while 26 have gone under and just two have pushed. This 2017-18 Wild team is 13-16 SU on the road.
Minnesota has converted on 20.7 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and it has successfully killed off 80.7 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Wild have been penalized 4.0 times per game overall in the 2017-18 season, and 3.2 per game over its last five on the road. The team has had to kill penalties just 7.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Boasting a .919 save percentage and 28.0 saves per game, Devan Dubnyk (25-17-5) has been the top option in goal for Minnesota this year. If it decides to give him a rest, however, head coach Bruce Boudreau may go with Alex Stalock (9-14-2 record, .916 save percentage, 2.73 goals against average).
Eric Staal and Mikael Granlund will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Wild. Staal has 54 points via 27 goals and 27 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 14 different games. Granlund has 15 goals and 30 assists to his nameand has logged a point in 29 games.
On the other bench, New York is 27-34 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 61 regular season outings, 33 of its games have gone over the total, while 25 have gone under and just two have pushed. It’s 18-14 SU as the home team this year.
The Rangers have converted on just 20.9 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
New York skaters have been sent to the penalty box 3.6 times per game in total this season, and 3.0 per game over their past five games. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 7.8 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Henrik Lundqvist has stopped 28.3 shots per game as the top selection in goal for the Rangers. Lundqvist has 23 wins, 29 losses, and four overtime losses and has recorded a mediocre 2.89 goals against average and a .914 save percentage this season.
The Broadway Blueshirts will be led on offense by Mats Zuccarello (10 goals, 33 assists).
Minnesota Wild vs. New York Rangers Free Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Rangers, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
Over New York’s last ten outings, seven of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 1-6 in those games).
The Wild are 18-12 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Rangers are 12-16 SU in games where they serve more minutes than their opponent.
Minnesota is 3-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while New York is 3-4 in shootouts.
The total has gone under in three of New York’s last five games.
New York has allowed 3.2 goals per game overall this season, but is giving up 4.4 goals per matchup over its five-game losing streak.
New York is ranked 32nd this season with 12.8 giveaways per game. That figure has trended down recently, however, as the team’s averaged 11.2 giveaways over its last 10 games and 10.4 giveaways over its last five.
One of the best at valuing possession, Minnesota is ranked third this season with just 6.1 giveaways per game. That figure has trended higher, as it’s averaged 7.1 giveaways over its last 10 games and 8.8 giveaways over its last five.
