Wild vs Oilers Prediction, Odds & Preview for Friday Night Hockey (Feb. 23)

Odds as of Feb. 22 at Bet365 Sportsbook. Take advantage of the to place a wager on Oilers vs Wild.

Wild vs Oilers Betting Analysis

The Oilers and Wild enter Friday Night Hockey with identical 6-3-1 records in their past 10 games. Minnesota lost to Winnipeg 6-3 in their last game on the road, while the Oilers were beaten 6-5 by the Bruins in overtime at home in their most recent outing.

These two teams have already met twice this season, with Minnesota winning the first meeting by a 7-4 score in October, while Edmonton won 4-3 in December. Each team’s victory came in their own building. Edmonton has won two straight games against Minnesota at Rogers Place.

Key players for Friday’s game include Connor McDavid for the Oilers and Kirill Kaprizov for the Wild. McDavid has four goals and 21 assists in his last 10 games, while Kaprizov has six goals and 11 assists over his last 10 games.

A major matchup in this game will be Edmonton’s power play facing Minnesota’s penalty kill. The Oilers have the league’s fourth-best power play at 26.3% and face a Wild penalty kill that is ranked 16th in the NHL (74.5%).

Oilers vs Wild Prediction

It might be surprising to see Edmonton as such a heavy favorite against Minnesota, considering their recent struggles against this team. However, the advanced metrics paint a clear picture of why oddsmakers are big on the Oilers for Friday night hockey.

Over the past month, no NHL team has a better expected goals percentage than Edmonton (57.4%). It’s part of the reason they overtook the Colorado Avalanche as the favorite in the Stanley Cup odds. Minnesota is middle-of-the-pack in that department, with their Corsi sitting just below 50% over the past 10 games.

The goaltending situation is where it gets interesting for our Oilers vs Wild prediction. Edmonton plays Saturday night in the Battle of Alberta, so there’s a chance that Calvin Pickard (.910 SV%) could get the nod against the Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to start for Minnesota.

We simply don’t trust Pickard in goal, as he sports a career .904 save percentage, which has fallen below .900 in three of his past four games. Pickard practiced in the starter’s net on Thursday and appears on track to start Friday night.

We think there’s great value on Minnesota right now at +165, as we expect this line to shift once Pickard is confirmed. The Wild have the snipers to pick him apart, and Fleury is 16-6-1 against the Oilers in his career with a .922 save percentage.