Penguins vs Wild Prediction NHL Picks 2/9/24

Minnesota Wild (22-23-5) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (23-17-7)

Game Info: Friday, February 9, 2024 at 8:00 pm (Xcel Energy Center)

Betting Odds: Minnesota Wild -130 / Pittsburgh Penguins +104 --- Over/Under: 6

The Pittsburgh Penguins look for a win after splitting their last 6 games. The Minnesota Wild look for a win after winning 5 of their last 8 games. Let’s preview this game and give out a Pittsburgh Penguins vs Minnesota Wild prediction.

Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Preview

The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming off wins over the Canadiens and Jets. The Pittsburgh Penguins are averaging 2.96 goals per game and are scoring on 14.1 percent of their power play opportunities. Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh with 27 goals, Jake Guentzel has 28 assists, and Evgeni Malkin has 126 shots on goal. Defensively, the Pittsburgh Penguins are allowing 2.64 goals per game and are killing 81.4 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Tristan Jarry has allowed 74 goals on 876 shots faced, and Alex Nedelijkovic has given up 39 goals on 474 shots.

Minnesota Wild Betting Preview

The Minnesota Wild recently beat the Blackhawks while losing to the Predators and Ducks. The Minnesota Wild are averaging 2.96 goals per game and are scoring on 20.5 percent of their power play opportunities. Joel Eriksson Ek leads Minnesota with 21 goals, Mats Zuccarello has 31 assists and Kirill Kaprizov has 140 shots on goal. Defensively, the Minnesota Wild are allowing 3.3 goals per game and are killing 73.8 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Filip Gustavsson has allowed 89 goals on 866 shots faced, and Marc-Andre Fleury has given up 63 goals on 612 shots.

Minnesota Wild Player Prop Facts

• Marcus Johansson has scored a goal in four of his last five appearances against the Penguins.
• Matthew Boldy has recorded at least one point in 13 of his last 14 appearances against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• Zach Bogosian has recorded an assist in each of the Wild's last four games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• Brock Faber ranks 1st amongst rookies for average time on ice (24:55) this season.

Pittsburgh Penguins Player Prop Facts

• Jake Guentzel has scored a goal in five of his last six appearances against the Wild.
• Kris Letang has recorded at least one point in each of the Penguins' last seven night games at Xcel Energy Center.
• Erik Karlsson has recorded an assist in seven of the Penguins' last eight games.
• Marcus Pettersson ranks 2nd in the Metropolitan Division for Plus/Minus (+21) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Minnesota Wild rank 30th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (73.81%).
• The Minnesota Wild rank 30th in the league for Period 3 goals allowed per game this season (1.42).
• The Pittsburgh Penguins rank 30th in the league in power play percentage this season (14.10%).
• The Pittsburgh Penguins rank 5th in the league for goals against per game this season (2.64).

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Minnesota Wild prediction

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been hit or miss on the road, and you can make an argument the Wild are playing the better hockey right now, so I can understand the line being what it is. However, the Penguins have won 9 of the last 10 games against the Wild, and they've had a field day offensively in those games. The Penguins have scored 4 or more goals in each of the last 7 games against the Wild. Given the one-sided history between the Penguins and Wild, it's hard to turn down the plus money with Pittsburgh on the road.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.