Wild vs. Blackhawks NHL Predictions, Picks and Odds - March 17

A pair of Western Conference teams, residing at different ends of the standings, face one another on Tuesday, March 17 when the third-place Minnesota Wild (38-18-12) visit the 14th-place Chicago Blackhawks (25-30-11). The Blackhawks are big underdogs despite being at home, at +154, and the Wild are -185.

Minnesota's most recent game was a 4-2 home loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 15. Mats Zuccarello (two assists) and Vladimir Tarasenko (two goals) were among the three Wild skaters who collected two points each.

Chicago lost 4-0 on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights in its most recent game on March 14. Spencer Knight took the loss in goal for the Blackhawks while making 28 saves and giving up four goals in that outing.

Before this matchup, here's who we project to take home the victory in Tuesday's hockey game.

Wild vs. Blackhawks Predictions & Pick

For predictions on the upcoming game between the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks, computer-calculated moneyline, over/under, and score predictions are below, per Dunkel Index.

• Prediction: Wild 3 - Blackhawks 2
• Pick OU: Under 5.5 (Dunkel projecting 5.02 goals)
  

Pick with the best in the business! Get free picks for every game, every week at the Dunkel Index.

Wild vs. Blackhawks Moneylines

Take a look below at the most up-to-date moneylines for the Wild-Blackhawks matchup.

• Favorite: Wild (-185)
• Underdog: Blackhawks (+154)

Wild Betting Insights

• The Wild have won 52.5% of their games when they've been a moneyline favorite this season (21-19).
• When it has played with moneyline odds of -185 or shorter, Minnesota has put together a 3-7 record (winning only 30.0% of its games).
• The Wild have a 64.9% chance (based on the moneyline's implied probability) to win this game.
• Minnesota and its opponent have posted more than 5.5 goals in 42 of 68 games this season.

Blackhawks Betting Insights

• This season the Blackhawks have been an underdog 62 times, and won 25, or 40.3%, of those games.
• Chicago is 13-17 this season when entering a game as an underdog by +154 or more on the moneyline.
• The moneyline in this outing implies a 39.4% chance of victory for the Blackhawks.
• Chicago has combined with its opponent to score over 5.5 goals in 31 of 66 games this season.

Wild Key Stats

• Minnesota's 222 total goals (3.3 per game) rank ninth in the league.
• Defensively, the Wild have been one of the stingiest squads in NHL action, allowing 191 total goals (2.8 per game) to rank sixth.
• It has the league's sixth-best goal differential at +31.
• The 56 power-play goals the Wild have put up this season are third-best in the NHL (on 226 power-play chances).
• Minnesota's 24.78% power-play conversion rate is the fifth-best in the league.
• The six shorthanded goals the Wild have scored this season rank 10th among NHL squads.
• Minnesota's 78.98% penalty-kill success rate ranks 17th in the league.
• Minnesota has the 31st-ranked faceoff win rate in the NHL, at 46.7%.
• The Wild connect on 11.3% of their shots (13th in the league).

Blackhawks Key Stats

• With 172 goals (2.6 per game), Chicago has the NHL's 30th-ranked offense.
• The Blackhawks' total of 208 goals given up (3.2 per game) is 20th in the NHL.
• With a goal differential of -36, the team is 29th in the league.
• With 37 power-play goals (on 191 chances), the Blackhawks are 19th in the NHL.
• Chicago's power-play percentage (19.37) ranks the team 21st in the league.
• In terms of shorthanded goals, the Blackhawks have five.
• At 84.85%, Chicago has the best penalty-kill percentage in the league.
• Chicago wins 46.8% of faceoffs, 30th-ranked in the NHL.
• With a shooting percentage of 10.7%, the Blackhawks are 21st in the league.