Two of the worst teams in the Central Division will clash on Wednesday evening when the Minnesota Wild visit the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena. The puck is scheduled to drop at 9:30 PM ET. Minnesota is actually surging at the moment with three straight victories and just beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights on Monday evening by a score of 5-3. Arizona meanwhile is on the opposite end of the spectrum, losing six in a row. Philly took them down on Monday. Continue reading for the Wild vs Coyotes picks.
Before diving into the NHL picks, check out our top hockey betting sites and the Vegas odds for the NHL in the 2023-24 season.
The Wild are a road favorite on Wednesday with -119 moneyline odds for an implied win probability of 54.34%. The Coyotes come back at +106 and have a 48.54% chance of coming out victorious. The total in goals is set at six. Minny is also laying 1.5 on the puck line. Despite the odds against them, Arizona has won three straight meetings with the Wild. Something to keep in mind when betting on this game.
Minnesota Figuring Things Out?
With a 24-23-5 record, the Wild are in sixth place in the Central Division. Not exactly great. They’re not in a position to make the playoffs at the moment. That being said, Minnesota is starting to play much better hockey. The Wild are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games, with wins against the Blackhawks, Penguins, and Golden Knights in their previous three outings. Minny doesn’t exactly shine in any particular area, ranking 18th in goals scored and 23rd in goals allowed. However, they do have some producers.
Kirill Kaprizov is the leading catalyst offensively, scoring 20 goals and tallying 29 assists in 45 games in 2023-24. He did miss some time due to injury, too. Joel Eriksson Ek, Mats Zuccarello, Matt Boldy, and Brock Faber are all guys with over 30 points apiece as well. In total, nine different players have tallied a minimum of 20 points. Eriksson Ek was the star of the show against Vegas, scoring twice.
Both teams exchanged blows in the opening period with two goals apiece before a scoreless second. In the third, however, the Wild blew things wide open with three goals. Marco Rossi and Boldy scored while Eriksson Ek added an empty netter. Wednesday’s matchup marks the final game of a quick road trip for Minnesota before returning back home for a pair of contests against the Sabres and Canucks.
Tough Campaign For Arizona
Another disappointing season for the Coyotes, who can’t seem to find any success out in the desert. Arizona is seventh in the Central with a 23-24-4 record and has struggled immensely to find results. The Yotes are 2-6-2 in the last 10 and will be hoping to stop a six-game skid on Wednesday on home ice. In fairness, Arizona lost to numerous good teams during this span including the Panthers, Lightning, Hurricanes, Golden Knights, and Predators. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get any easier, either.
After facing the Wild, the Coyotes will face the Hurricanes, Avalanche, Oilers, Maple Leafs, and Jets, all teams that are contenders at the moment. A lot more losses could be coming but for now, the focus will be on Minnesota. In fact, Arizona has outscored Wednesday’s opponent 14-6 in the last three meetings. The Yotes’ best player this season is Clayton Keller, scoring 21 goals and tallying 28 assists in 51 contests for a total of 49 points. Matias Maccelli, Nick Schmaltz, and Alex Kerfoot are all putting up impressive numbers as well.
Arizona was very much in Monday’s game against the Flyers, but things took a turn for the worst. The Coyotes went into the third period up 3-2 and proceeded to give up three unanswered. It was a loss that should’ve undoubtedly been a win and there’s no question this team is kicking themselves for it. Given their success against Minnesota, Wednesday could be the day they get back on track.
Wild vs Coyotes Picks
Sure, Arizona probably isn’t a team that many people would bet on this season. Nevertheless, I’ll ride their track record against Minny and take them to end their losing ways on home soil. Take the moneyline.
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Quinn Allen is a journalist who specializes in writing sports betting previews. He holds a senior editor position at ClutchPoints. He has been contributing to Vegas Betting as a writer since 2022.