Liontips
Minnesota vs. Utah: NHL Match Prediction
Minnesota will settle the score with Utah on December 21 at home. The Wilds are currently far from their best form and have alternated victories and defeats. The visitors, on the contrary, are in their best form for the entire season and earn points very often. The last meeting between the clubs, which took place not so long ago, ended in favor of the Wilds. Are they capable of winning this time? You will find out from our forecast
Command Analysis
Minnesota Wild
USACurrent form
Minnesota is in second place in the Western Conference and has earned a total of 44 points. The team is currently literally three points behind the conference leader, but in its current form, it will be very difficult to catch up. Note that for two weeks now it has been unable to find stability and get on a winning streak. Moreover, if it used to alternate successful matches with defeats, then in the last two matches it remained without a single point.
After a 1-7 rout from Edmonton, the Wild dealt with Philadelphia (4-1), and then lost to both Vegas (2-3) and Florida (1-6). It is noteworthy that in the confrontation with the Panthers, they were left with only one goal scored and showed a weak game in defense. Much will continue to rest on the first three of the attack, especially on Kirill Kaprizov, and if the opponent manages to cover them, then the Wild efficiency drops significantly.
In addition, the club continues to show a rather mediocre game in the 5x3 and 5x4 formats and ranks 20th in the league in this indicator, currently having only 19% of the extra man conversion. As a rule, John Hynes' team looks worst in the third period, during which they often allow the opponent to score goals and concede more in it than in other periods.
Disqualifications and injuries
Trenin, Middleton, Lauko and Eriksson Ek will not be able to take part in the upcoming match due to injuries.
Interesting trends for betting
- Minnesota gets 7.25 penalty minutes per game.
On average, the "savages" are sent off at least three or four times per game.
- On home ice, Hines' team concedes an average of three goals
At home, the Wild have been showing a rather weak defensive performance.
Utah Hockey Club
USACurrent form
Utah was able to make a name for itself at the start of the season, but after a successful start, a rather expected decline followed. For a long period of time, the team has been outside the playoff zone, but has already managed to get close to the top eight and is now separated from it by only one point. At the same time, it continues to please fans with excellent results and is on a series of four victories.
Let us recall that after the defeat by the "savages", Andre Tourigny team went on the road, where they managed to deal with Colorado (4:1), San Jose (4:3), and upon returning to their home court, they beat Vancouver in a tough fight with a score of 3:2 in overtime. Incidentally, in the meeting with the Canadians, the club showed character and returned to the game from 0:2, having recovered less than five minutes before the siren, and in extra time, Mikhail Sergachev set the fat point.
By the way, in most cases, Utah was highly productive and opened up the defense of many opponents at least three or four times. The main scorers in its composition are now Dylan Gunter and Clayton Keller, each of whom earned 30 points in the goal + pass system. Also, unlike Minnesota, the team uses the numerical advantage better and currently has 21.2% of the implementation.
Disqualifications and injuries
Lamoureux, Ingram, Marino, Durzi and Bortuzzo will not play in the match.
Interesting trends for betting
- Utah is getting 10.74 penalty minutes per game.
On average, Utah is penalized at least five to six times per game.
- Utah has a 28-39 goal-to-goal ratio in the second period.
The team performs worst in the second twenty minutes compared to the other periods
Trends
Bet 1st period: total under 1.5 goals
In four out of five games involving visitors, the first period was unproductive
1.85Bet 2nd period: Utah will score
In four out of five matches, the visitors scored goals in the second period
1.53Tip and bets
In our opinion, Utah can claim two points in this confrontation. The team has been showing excellent results for a long time and is even now on a winning streak. Minnesota is not doing well at the moment, and continues to demonstrate mediocre play even on its home court. Plus, the last match between the clubs was an equal fight, and then Tourigny team was able to bring the matter to a shootout. Based on this, we suggest betting on the guests' success with a handicap.
Prediction - Utah win with handicap (0) for 2.20
Bet on individual total
Minnesota showed poor performance in previous matches and in most cases could not score more than three goals. Utah, in turn, worked on its defense and began to make far fewer mistakes in its own zone than before. In four of the previous five matches, the visitors were left with fewer than four goals conceded, so it makes sense to take the individual total of the Wild.
We bet on Minnesota individual total under 3.5 goals for 1.60
Total Bet
The last matches involving Utah have not often been played with a huge number of goals scored. Plus, Minnesota itself, after a series of disastrous matches, will probably try to play as best as possible in defense and not let the opponent score a lot. It is quite possible that the match will be played in a power struggle, so it will not be very productive.
We take the total under 6.5 pucks for 1.52
Upcoming matches
Read more
Tips from experts
Today tips
Betting predictions stat
