Wild-Flames prediction, odds, pick, how to watch

What's better than Tuesday night hockey? Not much. The Minnesota Wild battle it out with the Calgary Flames in the Stampede City! Join us for our NHL odds series where our Wild-Flames prediction and pick will be revealed.

What's better than Tuesday night hockey? Not much. The Minnesota Wild battle it out with the Calgary Flames in the Stampede City! Join us for our NHL odds series where our Wild-Flames prediction and pick will be revealed.

Heading into this contest with an underwhelming 8-10-4 record, the Wild have a long way to go if they want to be in contention for a postseason spot by season's end. Fortunately, an active three-game winning streak has restored some hope in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Can the winning train keep chugging along out on the road?

Over the past several seasons, the Flames have defeated the Wild in six of their last eight meetings and will look to continue their stronghold over Minnesota in this showdown. Like the Wild, the Flames also come into the game with a 10-11-3 losing record but have happened to win two of their last three contests overall. With plenty of time remaining in the season, do the Flames have what it takes to get their season turned around before it's too late?

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Wild-Flames Odds

Minnesota Wild: -1.5 (+210)

Calgary Flames: +1.5 (-260)

Over: 6.5 (-104)

Under: 6.5 (-118)

How to Watch Wild vs. Flames

Time: 9:00 ET/6:00 PT

TV: ESPN+

Why The Wild Will Cover The Spread/Win

Although the defense has stepped up their intensity when the puck is in their own zone, Minnesota still possesses the worst penalty-killing unit in all of hockey. All in all, if this winning streak ends up going up in “flames”, surrendering goals while shorthanded will ultimately be Minnesota's downfall. Luckily enough, Calgary's power-play abilities leave much to be desired as they rank as the 26th-best extra-man advantage unit in the league. Without question, the Flames will most likely get their fair share of opportunities in the power-play department, but if the Wild can stand tall and withstand these such attacks, then they'll be in a tremendous position to cover the spread as underdogs.

Not to mention, but goalie Filip Gustavsson has got to put together some more consistent starts in net. Often splitting time with his goaltending counterpart in Marc-Andre Fleury, it will prove to be Gustavsson who needs to bring his A game in a pivotal road matchup. At first glance, could Gustavsson possibly be turning the corner? In his last two starts, the Swedish netminder is 2-0 with a .961 save percentage over that span.

Last but certainly not least, if there is anything that needs to be cleaned up ahead of this matchup, then the giveaways need to be held in check. With 11 giveaways against the Blackhawks despite the win, Minnesota is not a good enough team to be playing with their food. Alas, some clean and smart hockey will get the job done.

Why The Flames Will Cover The Spread/Win

At a distance, it seems that the Flames are down in the dumps, but keep in mind that all it takes is a couple of lucky bounces of the puck to reverse your fortunes in the wild sport of hockey.

Not only will the Flames have their home crowd behind them to energize the team, but there obviously is something that needs to be done about a porous Calgary defense that has more holes in it than a glazed donut. Outside of Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, the entire defensive unit has struggled for the most part, especially in regards to leaving wide-open shots on net. To make matters worse, starting goaltender Jacob Markstorm's availability for tonight's action is up in the air as a puck struck his hand during Monday's practice.

If Markstrom cannot go, then this offense will need to be clicking on all cylinders along with a steady outing from backup goalie Daniel Vladar. Overall, Calgary is scoring a shade under 3.00 goals per game, and they have yet to score at least four times in their last 12+ periods of play. Of course, Nazem Kadri has also been held in check when facing off with Minnesota. Over his last 20 games versus the Wild, Kadri has failed to record a point in 12 of those matchups. If Calgary wants any shot in this one, a big game from an important member of this offense needs to break out in thrilling fashion.

Final Wild-Flames Prediction & Pick

With the Wild slowly but surely turning their season around, don't be shocked if Minnesota leaves Calgary with an utter dominating performance on the ice. Despite being 3-6-1 in ten games on the road this season, Minnesota seems to be trending upwards with each passing game.

Final Wild-Flames Prediction & Pick: Wild -1.5 (+210)