The Minnesota Wild (31-21-5) meet the Columbus Blue Jackets (18-34-5) Thursday at Nationwide Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Wild vs. Blue Jackets odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Wild kick off a 2-game road trip after a fairly successful 7-game homestand which saw Minnesota win its final 3 games and pick up at least a point in 5 of its last 6 outings. The Wild have played in 6 consecutive 1-goal games (4-1-1).
The Blue Jackets were tripped up 3-2 in overtime against the Arizona Coyotes on the road Sunday in their most recent outing, snapping a mini 2-game win streak. This is the first of 2 meetings with the Wild in 4 days.
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Wild at Blue Jackets odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:48 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Wild -190 (bet $190 to win $100) | Blue Jackets +160 (bet $100 to win $160)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Wild -1.5 (+130) | Blue Jackets +1.5 (-160)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -130 | U: +110)
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Wild at Blue Jackets projected goalies
Marc-Andre Fleury (16-13-3, 2.98 GAA, .901 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Joonas Korpisalo (10-10-3, 3.14 GAA, .913 SV%)
Fleury enters on a 3-game losing skid, going 0-3-0 with a 4.22 GAA and .859 SV% since flipping the calendar from January to February. He has allowed 11 goals on 78 shots which isn’t great, but he also has received just 5 total goals of offensive support.
Korpisalo has been much better lately, allowing just a single goal in each of his past 2 starts — both wins. He is 2-1-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .954 SV% across 3 starts in February.
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Wild at Blue Jackets picks and predictions
Prediction
Blue Jackets 3, Wild 2
Moneyline
The BLUE JACKETS (+160) are a solid value as moderate home ‘dogs, and they’re a great play.
The Wild have not been getting very good play from the goaltenders, and are 0-5 in their last 5 road games.
The home side is 5-1 in the past 6 meetings in this series.
Puck line/Against the spread
The BLUE JACKETS +1.5 (-160) aren’t priced out of line here if you want a little insurance and just can’t fathom the idea of playing them straight up.
While the Wild have won 3 in a row, each victory was by a single goal, and Minnesota has played in 6 straight 1-goal games. The Jackets have cashed on the puck line in 5 straight as an underdog, too.
Over/Under
The UNDER 5.5 (+110) is worth a roll of the dice at plus money.
The Under is 21-8-2 in the past 31 games overall for the Wild and has cashed in 5 in a row against Eastern Conference foes.
The Under has cashed in 4 straight games for Columbus and is 4-1 in its last 5 against teams with a winning record. The Under is 5-0-1 in the past 6 games against Western Conference foes.
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