The Minnesota Wild got a 1-1 split with their 6-2 victory on Wednesday, but now they have to travel to St. Louis and try to tame the Blues on the road. St. Louis is down some defenseman and will have to get another strong performance from goalie Ville Husso.
The Blues have only lost one game to the Wild in the last seven meetings. Can the Wild continue their momentum, or will the Blues keep home-ice advantage with a victory?
Find out what we think in our free NHL picks and predictions for Wild vs. Blues on Friday, May 6.
Wild vs Blues odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Blues opened as the -115 favorite and that line has moved little. The Wild have gone to +100 at several sportsbooks. The total opened at 6.5 and hasn’t moved. The Over is +100, while the Under is -120.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Wild vs Blues predictions
Predictions made on 5/6/2022 at 1:15 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Wild vs Blues game info
• Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
• Date: Friday, May 6, 2022
• Puck drop: 9:30 p.m. ET
• TV: TNT, Sportsnet 360
Wild vs Blues series odds
Wild: -110
Blues: -110
Wild vs Blues betting preview
Key injuries
Wild: No injuries to report.
Blues: MacKenzie MacEachern LW (Out), Scott Perunovich D (Out), Marco Scandella D (Questionable), Nick Leddy D (Questionable), Robert Bortuzzo D (Questionable).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Wild vs Blues head-to-head record
Wild: 10-1-1 SU, 57 goals for.
Blues: 2-6-4 SU, 35 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The over is 5-1, including Game 2 on Wednesday, in the team’s last six meetings. Find more NHL betting trends for Wild vs. Blues.
Wild vs Blues picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The home team has been favored in the previous two games of this best-of-seven-first-round series between the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues. The teams are split at a game apiece and odd number games — three, five, and seven — are always important.
The Wild will be hoping for another strong offensive performance in Game 3, and they usually get it, at 6-1 when scoring five or more goals in their previous game.
On Friday, the emphasis will be on defense, and I think the Wild have the edge. The Wild’s defense improved greatly from the first to the second game and should be a positive factor Friday night
The Wild allowed just two goals on Wednesday as opposed to six on Monday. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was solid in the second game, turning away 32 of 34 shots.
It is likely Fluery will start, and he will again see a barrage of shots from the Blues. St. Louis is averaging three goals per game, and should have 30 or more shots tonight.
Where the Blues will have to do better is their power play. During the season, they were second in the league, converting 27% of the time. In Game 2, they were just 1-8. If the Wild are going to commit penalties — and they were third in the league in penalty minutes — the Blues will have to capitalize on the man advantage.
Minnesota, however, has committed to taking fewer penalties and if they do, they should prevail on Friday.
Prediction: Wild moneyline (+100 at WynnBet)
Over/Under analysis
St. Louis lost their second defenseman in as many games when Robert Bortuzzo took a puck to the side of the head trying to block a shot in Game 2. He has been listed as questionable, but Blues coach Craig Berube said he is doubtful.
The Blues have three other blueliners who could miss Friday’s game. Rookie Scott Perunovich required wrist surgery in March and won’t be back. Nick Leddy was injured in Game 1 and didn’t play in Game 2 — he is also questionable for Game 3. Marco Scandella, however, might return from a lower-body injury he received during the regular season. If all three defensemen can’t suit up, they are left with five healthy ones. That would necessitate someone being called up from the minors.
If that is the case, the Wild should be able to take advantage of the Blues’ depleted defense corps. They hung six goals on them in Game 2 and could quite easily put up a similar effort Friday. The Over has been popular between these two teams — in addition to hitting on Wednesday, it has cashed in four of the last five meetings between the two.
The Over is 4-1 for the Wild after scoring five or more goals in the previous game. For the Blues, the Over is 5-2 after allowing five or more goals in the previous game.
Prediction: Over 6.5 (+100 at BetMGM)
Best bet
The Wild have been getting chances to score goals. After being blanked in the first game, they came back in Game 2 and hung six on the Blues.
That was more indicative of how they were during the regular season, where they ended up fifth in the NHL in goals for, averaging 3.72 per game.
The Blues, who got four goals in Game 1, were third in the league in GFA at 3.77. However, they’re going to be more concerned with their depleted defense, something the Wild will key on in Game 3.
Win or lose, I think Minnesota will score at least four goals on Friday.
Pick: Wild over 3.5 goals (+180 at DraftKings)
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