Minnesota vs. Florida: NHL Match Prediction
Minnesota will face Florida on their home court on December 19. The Wild lost their last game, so they will probably give it their all in the upcoming encounter and try to please their fans. Moreover, they often ended previous games against the Panthers in their favor, and this season they completely crushed their opponent with a score of 5:1. What is the best bet on this confrontation? You will find out from the forecast

Command Analysis

Minnesota Wild

Current form
Minnesota is in second place in the Western Conference and has 44 points. The team is currently literally one point behind Winnipeg, so it can soon lay claim to the lead in the standings. Note that for a long period of time it has not been able to gain optimal condition and continues to alternate successful matches with defeats. Not long ago, the Wild dealt with Minnesota on the road (5:4 SO), lost to Edmonton at home (1:7), and after a home victory over Philadelphia (4:1), they lost to Vegas with a score of 2:3.
In the previous confrontation with the "knights", they played well for the first 40 minutes, but in the third period they missed one puck and were unable to return to the game. But that match turned out to be great for Kirill Kaprizov, who scored another double. By the way, the Russian forward currently occupies the third position in the list of the league best scorers and has already earned 47 points in the goal + pass system.
However, if the forward game is not going well, then often the Wild cannot score more than one or two goals, as a result of which they lose. John Hines' team, as a rule, plays the most powerfully in the second period, in which it has a ratio of 32:22 in goals scored and conceded. However, the club still has problems with the game in the majority, because it has less than 20% of the extra goal conversion rate.
Disqualifications and injuries
Trenin, Middleton, Lauko and Gustavsson will not be able to take part in the upcoming fight due to injuries.
Interesting trends for betting
- Minnesota has a 70.7% power play neutralization rate.
The Wild are currently ranked 30th in the league in this indicator.
- On average, the Wilds receive 6.97 minutes of penalty time.
The Wild are statistically sent off at least three or four times per match

Florida Panthers

Current form
Florida currently occupies fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings and has earned 40 points in total. The team can improve its position at any moment, since it is only four points behind the first position. Moreover, it has often been on a winning streak recently and has won no less than three games in a row. True, after a good match against Seattle (2:1 SO), the Panthers lost to Vancouver (0:4) and Calgary (0:3) on the road, but pulled themselves together in the final confrontation with Edmonton and dealt with their opponent with a score of 6:5.
In that meeting with the Oilers, Paul Maurice team showed character, as they were able to come back from 2:4 and played a killer final twenty minutes, during which they scored three goals. It can be said that the third period remains the best one performed by Florida, because in it they currently have a ratio of 35:29 in goals scored and allowed, and often keep it for themselves.
Another positive aspect is that the club makes great use of the numerical advantage and has exactly 26% of the extra man conversion rate, ranking seventh in the league in this indicator. Incidentally, the team had to rebuild after the injury of one of the main scorers, Aleksandr Barkov, which is why it had problems with scoring at first.
Disqualifications and injuries
Barkov will not play in the upcoming match due to injury.
Interesting trends for betting
- Florida gets 9.59 penalty minutes per game.
On average, the Panthers are sent off at least five times per game.
- Florida wins 47.8% of faceoffs
The team has looked mediocre at the point this season
Trends
Bet 1st period: total under 1.5 goals
In four out of five matches between the teams, the first period was unscoring
1.85Bet 2nd period: home team win
In the last three games against Florida, the hosts kept the second period for themselves
2.85Tip and bets
Minnesota certainly doesn't look any worse against Florida, so it not entirely clear why bookmakers consider it an underdog, even though it playing at home. Of course, the team has been inconsistent lately, alternating successful matches with defeats, but it has finished most of its head-to-head matches against the Panthers in its favor. The Panthers literally miraculously beat Edmonton in the previous meeting, although they had previously shown poor play on the road. Based on this, it makes sense to bet on the hosts' success with a handicap.
Prediction - Minnesota win with handicap (0) for 2.10
Bet on individual total
In previous meetings, Florida has not demonstrated the best defense and often conceded at least three goals. Minnesota shows good results on its home ice and averages at least three goals. If Kaprizov game goes well, the hosts will easily open the opponent defense three times. Also note that last time the "savages" scored five goals against their opponent.
We take Minnesota individual total over 2.5 goals for 1.75
Total Bet
The previous matches between the teams were quite spectacular and had at least six goals scored. Minnesota has not been particularly strong in defense lately, but Florida has also been missing a lot. The clubs may well play on opposite courses this time and please the spectators with a considerable number of goals. We think that a bet on the total over is a good option.
We bet on a total of over 5.5 goals with odds of 1.72