Wild vs. Panthers Odds
| Wild Odds | +168 |
| Panthers Odds | -205 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 -138o / +112u |
The Wild suffered a 7-3 loss in Tampa Bay on Thursday but won't have much time to reflect on that defeat before playing in the second half of their back-to-back road set. Let's examine if Minnesota should expect to do any better against Florida while previewing the upcoming contest and offering a Wild vs. Panthers prediction and pick.
Minnesota Wild
Unfortunately for the Wild, their loss to the Lightning wasn't an isolated incident. While the Wild did enjoy a stretch from Nov. 28-Dec. 27 in which they won 11 of 14, they've gone 2-8-1 since, dropping them to 18-21-5 overall. Defense and goaltending have been at the heart of their recent struggles. Minnesota has allowed at least four goals in six of its last 11 outings and surrendered three goals in three other games during that stretch.
If there's a silver lining, it's that Marc-André Fleury might have turned a corner. He stopped 14 of 15 shots in a relief appearance against Arizona in Saturday's 6-0 loss and followed that with a 21-save shutout over the Islanders on Monday. Filip Gustavsson was in net against Tampa Bay, so Fleury is slated to start Friday night, and perhaps he can build off that success.
It will probably take a good game from Fleury for Minnesota to win because the offense can't be trusted. The Wild rank 25th offensively with just 2.86 goals per game, and that has dropped to an abysmal 2.09 goals per game across 11 contests dating back to Dec. 30. There is some reason for hope, however. Kirill Kaprizov returned from an upper-body injury Saturday and has registered an assist in each of his last two outings. When he's at his best, Kaprizov is a major scoring threat. Mats Zuccarello is a solid first-line option too, and he's done alright lately with a goal and three points over his past two games.
Even still, as a whole, Minnesota is a fairly mediocre team, and the Wild's recent play has sunk their outlook further — in stark contrast to the Panthers.
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Florida Panthers
After reaching the Stanley Cup Final last year, Florida seems well-equipped for another deep run. Sergei Bobrovsky, who is scheduled to start Friday, is having a great campaign with a 21-10-2 record, 2.46 GAA and .911 save percentage in 33 contests. Given Minnesota's recent struggles, facing a goaltender of Bobrovsky's caliber is about the last thing the Wild want.
The Panthers are also the better team offensively, ranking 16th with 3.14 goals per game, and they've been even better over their past 12 contests, averaging 3.83. Matthew Tkachuk has been a big part of that surge, supplying seven goals and 20 points in 12 outings, but he's hardly been carrying the Panthers' offense alone. Sam Reinhart is on an unreal eight-game goal-scoring streak, bringing him up to 33 goals and 56 points in 44 outings in 2023-24. Meanwhile, Carter Verhaeghe has collected eight goals and 17 points over his last 12 contests.
Aleksander Barkov (lower body) is penciled in as a game-time decision and his absence would be a significant blow. He has 11 goals and 46 points in 40 outings this season, but Florida has been doing well enough to potentially overcome his absence if necessary.
It also helps that the Panthers will be hosting this contest. They're 13-6-2 when defending their home ice this year while the Wild are 7-12-2 on the road.
Wild vs. Panthers
Betting Pick & Prediction
With the Wild slumping, playing on the road and battling fatigue after Thursday's defeat, it should come as no surprise that the 27-13-4 Panthers are heavy favorites. However, oddsmakers are still offering a solid potential return for taking the Panthers on the puck line, where the spread is 1.5 goals in favor of Minnesota, and I recommend taking advantage of that high possible payout.
While Fleury has done alright recently, the 39-year-old goaltender still has a poor 8-9-3 record, 2.97 GAA and .897 save percentage across 22 contests overall. That leaves Bobrovsky as the better goaltender in this matchup and the gap is even wider in Florida's favor when it comes to the team's offenses, which sets the stage for the Panthers to earn a solid win.
Pick: Florida Panthers Puck Line +136 (Play to +125)
