The Minnesota Wild (31-21-5) will be out to extend their winning run when they are on the road to face the Columbus Blue Jackets (18-34-5) at Nationwide Arena on Thursday. Minnesota is coming off a 2-1 win over the Kings on Tuesday, their third consecutive win.
The Wild committed only one penalty in the game, holding Los Angeles without a power play goal. Ryan Hartman was the only player to find the net, scoring twice for the Wild. Filip Gustavsson had a great performance with 33 saves (.970%) in the win.
Columbus fell 3-2 (OT) to the Coyotes on Sunday. Boone Jenner and Patrik Laine both scored once for the Blue Jackets. Jenner added an assist to lead the team in scoring. Elvis Merzlikins saved only 22 of 25 shots against (.880%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams split their two meetings last season, the last of which was a 3-2 (OT) victory for the Wild in March. Kirill Kaprizov (2G 0A) and Kevin Fiala (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Minnesota. Jakub Voracek and Jake Bean were on the scoresheet for Columbus. Marc-Andre Fleury got the win, saving 23 of 25 shots (.920%).
FACING OFF
Minnesota is averaging 2.86 goals per game for the season, 25th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Blue Jackets team that is allowing 3.70 goals a game (30th).
Meanwhile, Columbus has found the net 2.54 times a game on average, 30th in the league, and the Wild are allowing opponents to score 2.79 goals per game (11th).
The Blue Jackets’ 16.56% power play percentage is the fourth-worst in the league, while the Wild rank eighth with a conversion rate of 23.76%. When it comes to defending power plays, Minnesota has the league’s ninth-ranked PK% at 81.82%, while Columbus is 19th at 77.27%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 67 points this season, Kaprizov is the top skater for the Wild. He is among the league leaders with 33 goals (9th) and has added 34 assists. In the net, Gustavsson (14-8-2) is Minnesota’s top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 2.16 GAA, second-best in the league, and a .926% save percentage, third-best. Fleury (16-13-3) leads the Wild in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 2.98 and a save percentage of .901%.
Johnny Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets in scoring with 52 points. He has 15 goals and 37 assists in 55 games. Joonas Korpisalo (10-10-3) has the best goals against average for Columbus at 3.14. He has a save percentage of .912%.
HOME AND AWAY
Minnesota has dropped five in a row away from Xcel Energy Center this season. Columbus is 12-17-2 at home this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Columbus Blue Jackets (+150)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
