St. Louis Blues at Minnesota Wild Betting Preview

>

 

— Saturday, January 01st St. Louis Blues @ Minnesota Wild

The 2022 Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild may be the coldest NHL game on record when the final horn sounds. Temperatures in Minneapolis will be around -5° F for the 7:00 PM Eastern puck drop, with wind chills approaching -20°.

But as cold as the air temps will be, the action on the ice should be red-hot. The Blues are 18-9-5 this season and are clinging to a one-point lead in the Central Division over Minnesota, who sits at 19-9-2. St. Louis’ 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday is the difference in the standings at the moment.

St. Louis Blues Preview - Getting Healthy at the Right Time

Like most teams around the NHL, COVID-19 bit the Blues during the shutdown. Robert Bortuzzo and Dakota Joshua are still in COVID-19 protocols and will miss the game. James Neal, Ivan Barbashev, and Oskar Sundqvist were all in protocols as well but have since cleared.

However, the pause did allow for Brayden Schenn to get healthy while recovering from an upper body injury. Schenn is set to return to the lineup. Schenn finished third on the team in points last season but has started slow in 2021, but he’s still a big piece of both the power play and penalty kill units.

Jordan Binnington is back from COVID-protocols as well. He picked up the win on Wednesday and is the likely starter on Saturday. This season, Binnington has a 9-6-3 record, along with a 2.83 GAA, a .911 save percentage, and a shutout.

Keep an eye on young forward Jordan Kyrou in this one. Kyrou has been on a tear, scoring ten goals and 18 assists in 28 games. Vladimir Tarasenko is on a point per game pace as well, with 13 goals and 19 assists.

Minnesota Wild Preview - Offense is Everything

The Wild rank third in the league in goals per game this season at 3.63. Despite entering the Winter Classic on a four-game losing streak, Minnesota’s offense has still scored at a high rate.

However, they’ll need an answer with Joel Eriksson Ek out of the lineup. The Wild’s top center suffered an upper body injury against the Dallas Stars on December 20, and he’s expected to miss several weeks.

Kirill Kaprizov (12 goals, 24 assists) is the go-to scorer in Minnesota, but Ryan Hartman (14 goals, 12 assists) and Marcus Foligno (13 goals, seven assists) are both having excellent seasons.

Minnesota’s defense could be in trouble as well. Captain Jared Spurgeon has missed the past few weeks with a lower body injury, and Jonas Brodin is in COVID-19 protocols. Brodin could still play Saturday if he’s able to test negative before puck drop.

Cam Talbot is expected between the pipes. Talbot is 15-7-1 this season with a 2.83 GAA, and a .914 save percentage.

The Odds

Moneyline: St. Louis Blues (+105) at Minnesota Wild (-125)
Puck Line: St. Louis Blues +1.5 goals (-225) at Minnesota Wild -1.5 goals (+185)
Total: Over 6 goals (+100), Under 6 goals (-120)

The Pick - Wild Freeze The Blues

The Wild have yet to play the Blues this season, and St. Louis won six of eight meetings last year. But the State of Hockey is always tougher to beat at home. This season, the Wild are 10-2-1 at home while the Blues are 6-6-3 on the road.

These two teams are very evenly matched, so expect a close game, possibly with overtime. Four of the 12 Winter Classic games have been decided in the extra session. But we expect Minnesota to come out on top.

Dunkel Index Pick: Minnesota Wild -125

Keep up with your latest NHL news coverage and betting pick previews at The Dunkel Index.