Minnesota Wild (36-23-4) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (24-31-10)
Game Info: Sunday, March 9, 2025 at 3:30 pm (Xcel Energy Center)
The Line: Betting Odds: Minnesota Wild -148 / Pittsburgh Penguins +124 — Over/Under: 5.5
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Minnesota Wild meet Sunday in NHL action from the Xcel Energy Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Minnesota Wild prediction.
Matchup History
Minnesota won the first matchup between these two teams by a final score of 5-3 back on October 29th, 2024. The win made it back-to-back wins for the Wild in this head-to-head matchup.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recap
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this game looking to shake off a 4-0 loss at the hands of Vegas in their last game to slip to 24-31-10 on the year. After this game, Pittsburgh will head home for a rematch with the Golden Knights.
Penguins Drop 4th In A Row
Evgeni Malkin has 41 points with 12 goals and 29 assists while Sidney Crosby has a team-high 66 points of his own with 19 goals and 47 assists. Rickard Rakell has 53 points with 29 goals and 24 assists and Erik Karlsson has 45 points with 8 goals and 37 assists. Bryan Rust also has 47 points with 21 goals and 26 assists. In goal for the Penguins, Joel Blomqvist has gone 4-9-1 with a 3.81 GAA and an .885 save percentage while Tristan Jarry has gone 8-8-4 with a 3.31 GAA and an .886 save percentage this season. Alex Nedeljkovic is also 12-14-5 with a 3.17 GAA and an .891 save percentage on the year.
Why the Pittsburgh Penguins will win
- The Penguins have won five of their last six games as road underdogs against the Wild.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in five of the Penguins’ last six games at Xcel Energy Center.
- The Wild have failed to cover the puck line in five of their last six games.
Pittsburgh Penguins Player Prop Facts
- Rickard Rakell has scored the first goal in three of his last four appearances with his team as a road underdog against the Wild.
- Sidney Crosby has scored at least one goal in four of the Penguins’ last five games at Xcel Energy Center.
- Sidney Crosby has recorded at least one assist in each of the Penguins’ last four games against Central Division opponents.
- Sidney Crosby has recorded at least one point in eight of his last nine appearances against the Wild.
- Anthony Beauvillier ranks T3rd in the Metropolitan Division for shootout goals (2) this season.
Minnesota Wild Recap
The Minnesota Wild come into this game looking to bounce back from a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks last time out to sit at 36-23-4 on the year. After this game, Minnesota will welcome the Colorado Avalanche to town.
Wild Looking To Rebound
Kirill Kaprizov has 52 points including a team-high 23 goals and 29 assists while Matt Boldy has 54 points including 21 goals and 33 assists. Marco Rossi has 52 points with 21 goals and 31 assists while Mats Zuccarello has 40 points with 14 goals and 26 assists. Filip Gustavsson has gone 24-14-3 with a 2.60 GAA and a .914 save percentage in goal for Minnesota while Marc-Andre Fleury is 12-7-1 with a 2.58 GAA and a .910 save percentage on the year. Jesper Wallstedt is 0-2 with a 4.09 GAA and an .843 save percentage this season.
Why the Minnesota Wild will win
- The Wild have won each of their last eight day games at Xcel Energy Center against opponents on a losing streak.
- The Penguins have lost each of their last seven day games.
- The Wild have covered the puck line in each of their last six games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight games.
Minnesota Wild Player Prop Facts
- Joel Eriksson Ek has scored at least one goal in each of his last four appearances with the Wild as home favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- Jonas Brodin has recorded an assist in each of the Wild’s last six games as home favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- Kirill Kaprizov has recorded at least one point in each of his last 11 appearances in day games.
- Yakov Trenin has the most Shorthanded Goals for the Wild this season (2).
Total Goals Facts
- Each of the Wild’s last six games against the Penguins following a road loss have gone OVER the total goals line.
- Seven of the Penguins’ last eight road games have gone UNDER the total goals line.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Minnesota Wild Prediction
I’m on the Wild in this game. I think that the Wild are just the better and more trustworthy team in this game. Every time I give the Penguins the benefit of the doubt and think this team is ready to get back on track and turn a corner, they fall flat on their faces and endure another losing streak like they are here. The Wild have just been a lot more consistent, especially when it comes to the defensive end, and I just trust the Wild across the board a lot more than I do Pittsburgh here. Give me Minnesota on the ML at home.