Wild vs Blackhawks Picks, Predictions, and Odds Tonight

Minnesota finds itself in a three-way race for the Central Division and now gets served Chicago on a silver platter. With the Blackhawks tanking, our NHL betting picks anticipate the Wild to blow out the home side.

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On Monday evening’s ESPN hockey showcase, there is a Central Division tilt with the eighth-place Chicago Blackhawks hosting the third-place Minnesota Wild.

Controlling this matchup over the past couple of seasons, Minnesota has won each of the last eight games between these two teams, with five of those eight wins coming by at least a two-goal differential.

Will Minny take care of business once again, or can Chicago pull off the upset on home ice? Find out in our free NHL picks for the Wild vs Blackhawks on Sunday, April 10.

Wild vs Blackhawks best odds

Wild vs Blackhawks picks and predictions

The tank for Connor Bedard continues to go swimmingly for the Chicago Blackhawks. Entering this contest, Chicago has now lost 17 of its last 21 games, with 15 of those 17 losses coming by at least a two-goal margin.

This trend is likely to continue against the Minnesota Wild, the superior team in every facet of the game. At 5-on-5, the Hawks rank last in the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) and third last in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60).

After shipping out any valuable asset at the trade deadline, this current Chicago lineup is constructed with a bunch of AHL players and NHL journeymen, which is why it continues to put up awful results every single night. Backing up this team is goaltender Petr Mrazek, who is projected to get the nod in the crease on Monday evening.

To say the least, it has been a difficult campaign for the veteran netminder, due to both his poor play and the lineup in front of him. Through 38 appearances between the pipes, Mrazek is 9-22-3 with a .892 SV% and 3.71 GAA.

Based on his underlying metrics, positive regression is unlikely. Among starting goaltenders, Mrazek ranks 26th in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx/60) at 5-on-5. Across the ice, Marc-Andre Fleury is slated to start in the crease for Minnesota against his former team. Putting together yet another strong campaign, Fleury is 24-15-4 with a .909 SV% and 2.84 GAA.

At 5-on-5, Fleury ranks in the top half among starting goaltenders in GSAx/60. Making Fleury’s life much easier is coach Dean Evason’s defensive-oriented team that ranks third in the league this season in xGA/60 at 5-on-5.

The Hawks continue to tank at a historic pace while the Wild are still in contention for the one-seed in the Central. With the better offense, defense, and goaltender, look for Minnesota to take care of business.

My best bet: Wild -1.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

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Wild vs Blackhawks moneyline analysis

While Fleury’s stint in Chicago was limited, he has found success in going against his former team since joining the Wild. In his two starts against the Hawks in Fleury’s post-Chicago era, he is 2-0 with a dominating .929 SV% and 1.92 GAA.

Meanwhile, Mrazek’s woes since joining Chicago are likely to continue against Minnesota. In his lone start against the Wild as a member of the Blackhawks, Mrazek surrendered three goals on just 21 shots for a troubling .857 SV% en route to Chicago’s 4-1 loss.

The Blackhawks' year-long tank efforts are nearly complete, and they just need to lose the last three games in regulation to likely secure the highest odds of landing Bedard.

Wild vs Blackhawks Over/Under analysis

I would lean towards the Under in this contest but do not feel confident one way or the other. Minnesota is elite defensively while Fleury is a strong presence in net, so stopping the most inefficient offense in hockey should be easy.

However, the one question mark with the Wild entering the playoffs is their offensive depth. Obviously, Kirill Kaprizov is a superstar, and guys like Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello round out a solid top-six forward group, but this team only features one point-per-game guy.

At 5-on-5, Minnesota ranks just 23rd in the league in xGF/60. While that is still nine spots higher than Chicago, it is still a concern, and why I would lean toward the Under.

With that said, Chicago's defense and goaltending are terrible, so I would not be shocked if the Wild put up five goals.

Wild vs Blackhawks betting trend to know

The Hawks have lost 17 of their last 21 games, with 15 of those 17 losses coming by at least a two-goal margin. Find more NHL betting trends for Wild vs. Blackhawks.