Free NHL Picks Today: Minnesota Wild vs Florida Panthers 2/13/23

Two of the NHL’s most penalized teams are set to meet at Xcel Energy Center on Monday, as the Minnesota Wild (28-20-4) welcome the Florida Panthers (26-23-6).

Florida is playing their first of four games on the road coming off a high-scoring 5-3 loss against the Avalanche on Saturday, ending a run of three straight wins.

The Panthers committed four penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Aleksander Barkov each scored once for the Panthers. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart both had two assists to lead the team in scoring.

Sergei Bobrovsky had 45 saves in the loss. Minnesota beat the Devils 3-2 (SO) on Saturday. Ryan Hartman and Joel Eriksson Ek both scored once for the Wild. Filip Gustavsson saved 27 of 29 shots in the win (.931%).

HEAD TO HEAD

The Panthers won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 5-3 victory in January, their fourth straight win against Minnesota. Reinhart and Anton Lundell each had two points (1G 1A) to lead Florida. Kirill Kaprizov led Minnesota with three points (0G 3A). Alex Lyon got the win, saving 29 of 32 shots (.906%).

FACING OFF

Florida is averaging 3.47 goals per game for the season, sixth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Wild team that is allowing 2.88 goals a game (12th).

Meanwhile, Minnesota has found the net 2.94 times a game on average, 24th in the league, and the Panthers are allowing opponents to score 3.44 goals per game (23rd).

Florida averages more shots per game (35.9) than any other team in the league, though the team’s 9.7% shooting percentage ranks 20th. Minnesota’s average of 31.2 attempts ranks 18th.

Look for multiple power play opportunities in this matchup, as the Panthers and Wild have more penalties per game than most teams in the NHL.

The Wild have been penalized 4.52 times a game on average (29th), while the Panthers are averaging 4.84 penalties, most in the league. The Wild’s 24.39% power play percentage ranks seventh in the league, while the Panthers are 12th with a conversion rate of 22.63%. In terms of penalty killing, Minnesota has the league’s 16th-ranked PK% at 80.23%, while Florida is 26th at 75.12%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 73 points this season, fifth-most in the NHL, Tkachuk is the top skater for the Panthers. He is among the league leaders with 46 assists (5th) and has added 27 goals of his own. In the net, Spencer Knight (9-7-3) is Florida’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.06 GAA and a .906% save percentage.

Bobrovsky (14-13-2) leads the Panthers in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 3.09 and a save percentage of .902%. Kaprizov leads the Wild in scoring with 62 points.

He has 29 goals and 33 assists in 52 games. Gustavsson (11-8-1) has the best goals against average for Minnesota at 2.27, third-best in the league.

He has a save percentage of .923%, also third-best. Marc-Andre Fleury (16-12-3) has played the most games in net for the Wild this season. He has a 2.98 GAA and a .902% save percentage.