Minnesota Wild Vs. Chicago Blackhawks Odds, Picks, and Predictions (2/2/22)

Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy each had a goal and an assist, as the Minnesota Wild beat the New York Islanders, 4-3 on Sunday evening.  The Wild are 27-10-3 with 57 points, third in the Central Division.  Minnesota has earned at least a point in nine straight games.  Chicago lost to Vancouver, 3-1 on Monday.  In the loss Connor Murphy scored the Blackhawks only goal and Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves. Chicago has lost for the sixth time in the last seven games. The Blackhawks are 16-22-7 with 39 points, seventh in the Central Division. 

Minnesota Wild Vs. Chicago Blackhawks Betting Odds

Minnesota is 5-0 in their last five games overall.  Over is 5-0-2 in the Wild’s last seven games vs. Western Conference opponents.  Over is 9-1-2 in Minnesota’s last 12 games vs. Central Division foes.  The Wild are 8-17 in the last 25 meetings in Chicago.  The Blackhawks are 1-6 in their last seven games overall.  Chicago is 15-54 in their last 69 games vs. a team with a winning percentage above .600.  Over is 4-0 in the Blackhawks last four Wednesday games.  The home team is 7-2 in the last 9 meetings between Minnesota and Chicago.

Minnesota Wild Betting Odds

Kirill Kaprizov, on a seven-game points streak, leads the Wild in scoring with 52 points in 39 games (18 goals and 34 assists).  He has 12 points on the power play (three goals and nine assists) and three game winning goals this season.  A +18 on the season, Kaprizov is averaging 19:05 of ice time per game.  In the last five games, the 2020-21 Calder Trophy winner has eight points (two goals and six assists).  Mats Zuccarello is second on the team in scoring with 40 points (13 goals and 27 assists).  The 12-year veteran has 14 points on the power play (three goals and 11 assists) and one game winning goal in 2021-22.  Zuccarello is a +19 and averaging 18:56 of ice time per game.  Ryan Hartman is tied for the team lead in goals this season with 18, overall, he has 40 points.  He also leads the team in game winning goals with five this year.  The 2013 first round pick is second in the league in plus/minus at +31.  Kevin Fiala has 32 points on the season and is currently on an 11 game points scoring streak.  It was announced on Monday by the club that 20-year-old forward Matt Boldy would remain with the team for the rest of the season.  He has nine points in his first nine games of his career (four goals and five assists).  Since his debut on January 6^th, the Wild are 8-0-1.  Left wing Jordan Greenway agreed to a three-year, nine-million-dollar extension on Monday.  In 33 games, Greenway is a +17, with 13 points and is third on the team in hits with 82.

Alex Goligoski leads the Wild defensemen in points with 25 (two goals and 23 assists).  He’s a +24 (tied for sixth in the NHL), with 46 blocked shots while averaging 19:42 of ice time per game.  Mathew Dumba has 20 points in 39 games this season.  He averages 23:39 of ice time per game and leads all Minnesota defensemen in hits with 79.  The 2019-20 Clancy Trophy winner is a +9 and has blocked 56 shots.  Jonas Brodin leads the Wild defensive group in ice time per game at 23:44. He’s a +5 with 17 points and has blocked 53 shots.  Captain Jared Spurgeon has played in 25 games and has chipped in 15 points on the season (four goals and 11 assists).  The 12-year veteran is a +14 and averaging 20:35 of ice time per game.

Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 40 shots on Sunday against the Islanders to push his record to 10-2-2 this year.  He has a .922 save percentage and a 2.53 GAA in 2021-22.  Cam Talbot has started 26 games this season and is 17-8-1.  In his first season with Minnesota, he has .910 save percentage and a 2.92 GAA.

Chicago Blackhawks Betting Odds

Alex DeBrincat leads the Blackhawks in goals this season with 26, fourth overall in the NHL.  He has 10 power play goals this year, which is tied for third in the league, overall, he has 36 points.  In 331 career games, DeBrincat has scored 145 goals.  Patrick Kane leads the Blackhawks in scoring this season with 42 points (11 goals and 31 assists).  The winger has 16 points on the power play in 2021-22 (four goals and 12 assists).  The three-time Stanley Cup winner has scored over 100 points twice in a season; his career high was 110 in 2018-19.  In 1,070 career games, Kane has 1,130 points (415 goals and 715 assists); averaging 1.06 points per game.  Captain Jonathan Toews has registered 19 points in 2021-22 (four goals and 15 assists) but is out indefinitely due to a concussion.  Kirby Dach has played in 42 games this season and has 15 points.  More was expected from the third-year center, but his numbers just aren’t there yet.  Dylan Strome is another player Chicago had hoped for more production this season.  He’s played in 32 games, scoring seven goals with 18 points overall.  Strome is averaging 14:56 of ice time per game and has won 55.8 of his face-offs this season.

Seth Jones is the Blackhawks third leading scorer this season with 29 points (three goals and 26 assists) and has added 11 assists on the power play.  In his first season in Chicago, he’s fourth in the league averaging 26:08 of ice time per game.  Jones has 85 blocked shots and 19 takeaways this year.  Connor Murphy leads the team in blocks with 114 and hits with 95.  The nine-year defenseman has chipped in eight points on the campaign in 42 games.  Jake McCabe who’s in his first season with the Blackhawks has delivered 85 hits and blocked 95 shots in 2021-22.   Calvin DeHaan is averaging 19:17 of ice time per game and is second on the team in blocks with 104.

2020-21 Vezina Trophy Marc Andre-Fleury in his first season with the Blackhawks has started 32 games.  “The Flower” is 14-15-3 with a .910 save percentage and a 2.85 GAA.  The three-time Stanley Cup winner is tied for third in the NHL with three shutouts. 

Minnesota Wild Vs. Chicago Blackhawks Picks & Prediction

Minnesota is scoring 3.8 goals per game, which is third in the league and taking 33 shots per game, 11^thoverall.  Defensively the Wild are allowing 2.9 goals per game, ranked 16^th overall.  Minnesota has won five games in a row.  Chicago is scoring 2.4 goals per game, ranking them 29^th in the NHL and attempting 28.8 shots per game, 29^th overall.  On the defensive side, the Blackhawks are allowing 3.3 goals per game which ranks 23^rd in the NHL.  Chicago is 5-7-5 in its last 17 games overall.  This was once one of the best rivalries in hockey over the last 10 years, but it has fizzled over the years.  I like the Wild in this game with teams going over six goals.