NHL Best Bets: Flames vs. Wild Game Picks

The red-hot Minnesota Wild will look to continue their winning ways tonight when they play host to the struggling Calgary Flames.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

This will be the Flames’ second game in as many nights after they picked up a victory late in the third period over the Dallas Stars yesterday. They’ll have a difficult task tonight on leg two of a back-to-back when they face off with one of the hottest teams in the NHL. The Wild have posted four straight victories and are climbing the Central standings after an 8-1-1 stretch over their past ten games. The Flames haven’t found near that success of late, posting a 3-5-2 record over that same sample size. 

The Wild are listed as home favorites in this matchup tonight on the moneyline at -142, while the Flames are priced at +118. This will be the third and final meeting between these clubs, with the Wild already posting a 3-0 victory while the Flames countered with a 5-3 win. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Flames are expected to start Dan Vladar in net, while the Wild have confirmed that Filip Gustavsson will start. The Flames netminder has posted a 12-6-5 record, paired with a .895 save percentage. Gustavsson has continued to be found money for the Wild in goal, owning a 17-8-3 record, along with a stellar .933 save percentage. 

Calgary really doesn’t have the consistency we’re looking for here in this type of matchup, and it’s hard to get behind what they’re offering in this contest. The Wild are playing superb hockey, and it’s hard to fade their price of -142 on the moneyline. Back the Wild to extend their win streak to five games. 

Best Bet: Wild moneyline (-142) 

There are certainly a lot of similarities between the Flames and Wild in how they want to play. Both sides have a solid repertoire of defense and in goal, which is undoubtedly highlighted by the meager total set at 5.5. The earlier matchups saw them combine for three and eight goals, respectively. Over the Flames’ past five games, they’ve seen six or more goals scored in two of those matchups, while the Wild have seen that transpire in none. Since we love the price of the Wild on the moneyline, look for their low-scoring streak of games to continue in this matchup and back the under 5.5 at -105.  

Best Bet: Under 5.5 (-105) 

Even though we discussed both sides’ defensive prowess above, the one superstar talent that’s continued to put up big-boy numbers this season should be noted in this matchup tonight. Kirill Kaprizov is the straw that stirs the drink for Minnesota offensively, and we’ve already seen him tally 73 points in 63 games to lead the club, along with five goals over their past five games. There should be some extra time and space for Kaprizov tonight after the Flames played yesterday, leading us to like the value price he’s listed at of +100 to score. 

Best Prop: Kirill Kaprizov to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+100)