BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Wild host St. Louis after Ryan O'Reilly scored two goals in the Blues' 5-4 overtime win against the Wild.
The Wild are 31-14-4 against opponents in the West Division. Minnesota ranks 10th in the league averaging 3.2 goals per game, led by Kirill Kaprizov with 23.
The Blues are 23-19-6 against opponents in the West Division. St. Louis has given up 37 power-play goals, killing 75.7% of opponent opportunities.
The teams meet for the second straight game.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kaprizov has 42 total points for the Wild, 23 goals and 19 assists. Nick Bonino has eight assists over the last 10 games for Minnesota.
David Perron leads the Blues with 34 total assists and has 48 points. O'Reilly has nine goals and four assists over the last 10 games for St. Louis.
LAST 10 GAMES: Wild: 7-1-2, averaging 4.1 goals, 6.2 assists, 2.3 penalties and 5.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game with a .913 save percentage.
Blues: 7-3-0, averaging four goals, 7.1 assists, 3.5 penalties and 8.7 penalty minutes while allowing 2.5 goals per game with a .920 save percentage.
INJURIES: Wild: Andrew Hammond: day to day (upper-body), Nick Bjugstad: day to day (upper body).
Blues: Mackenzie MacEachern: out (upper body), Vladimir Tarasenko: day to day (lower body), Vince Dunn: day to day (upper body), Carl Gunnarsson: out for season (lower body), Oskar Sundqvist: out for season (knee).
The NHL is set up with a great day of action throughout Saturday. Fifteen games will be up on the board throughout May 1. One of these matchups will be between the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild. These two teams have been really solid throughout this season and will look to earn a big two points in this one. This game will drop the puck at around 8:00 PM Eastern time on ESPN+.
St. Louis has earned a record of 23-19-6 throughout this season, which has them sitting in fourth place of the West Division. The Blues have a five point lead on the fifth seeded Coyotes and will look to extend that in this one. St. Louis has won four games in a row and will look to keep it up in this one. The Blues have been hot as of late and will look to get closer to clinching the final playoff spot.
The Wild have put up a record of 31-14-4 to this point in the season, which has them in third place of the West Division. Minnesota is tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the second seed, but have played two extra games. The Wild will look to pass the Avalanche with a win in this one. Minnesota will look to bounce back after losing their last two.
These two teams have been strong this season and are currently sitting in playoff spots as of right now. Minnesota has already clinched, but are looking to take over the second seed, while the Blues are trying to keep their lead on Arizona. Both teams will look to grab a big two points in this one, which should lead to a great game on Saturday night.
Previous Matchups
The Blues and Wild have met up five times so far this season. Minnesota hosted the first game of the season series on March 25. Marcus Johansson and Kirill Kaprizov both scored on the night to help lift the Wild to the win. Cam Talbot stopped all 37 shots he faced on the night to help give Minnesota a big 2-0 win at home.
The second and third game of the season series were in St. Louis on April 9 and 10. Ryan O’Reilly had three goals and an assist, while Sammy Blais and Justin Faulk both had a goal and two assists in the second game. The Blues earned a dominant 9-1 win. Vince Dunn had three assists in the third game and Mike Hoffman scored twice to lift St. Louis to a 3-2 win in overtime.
Minnesota hosted the fourth game of the season series on April 28. Marcus Foligno had a goal and an assist, but the Wild came up short. Mike Hoffman had two goals and an assist, while Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas each had a goal and an assist. The Blues erased a 3-1 deficit in the third to earn a big 4-3 win on the road.
The fifth and most recent game of the season series was in Minnesota on April 29. Kevin Fiala had a goal and two assists to force overtime, but once again the Wild could not grab the two points. Ryan O’Reilly had two goals, while Torey Krug and Jordan Kyrou both had two assists on the night. The Blues were able to earn a big 5-4 win on the road.
Special Teams
St. Louis has been strong on the power play throughout this season. The Blues have capitalized on 31 of their 139 power play opportunities, which is a 22.3 percent success rate. St. Louis has struggled on the penalty kill though. The Blues have given up 37 power play goals on 152 penalties against, which is a 75.7 percent penalty kill.
The Wild have struggled a bit on their power play so far this season. Minnesota has scored on 27 of their 147 power play chances, which is an 18.4 percent power play. The Wild have been strong on the penalty kill this season. Minnesota has killed off 122 of their opponents 148 power play attempts, which is an 82.4 percent kill rate.
These two teams match up well on special teams. Minnesota’s power play has struggled, but they could get going against the Blues penalty kill. St. Louis has been strong on the power play, but they will have a tough matchup against the Wild’s penalty kill. If either team can score with the man advantage, it could be enough to give them the win.
Goaltending Comparison
Jordan Binnington will likely get the start in the crease for the Blues in this one. Binnington has earned a record of 15-14-5 throughout his starts this season. He has put up a save percentage of .909 and a 2.69 GAA in those games played. Binnington finished with 26 saves on 29 shots in his last start against the Wild, which was enough for the win.
I expect Cam Talbot to get the nod in the net for Minnesota on Saturday night. Talbot has started in 29 games this season, going 17-7-4. He has posted a .920 save percentage and a GAA of 2.48 throughout his starts this season. Talbot’s last start was against St. Louis where he stopped 16 of 21 shots in the overtime loss.
The Wild have the edge in the crease with Talbot getting the start. Talbot has been solid throughout this season and will look to bounce back after a tough loss on Thursday night. Binnington has been solid this season and will look to have a big performance in this one. If either goalie can get into a groove early, it could be enough for a win.
Pick Overview
Minnesota is coming off back to back losses against the Blues on Wednesday and Thursday night. I think that the Wild will bounce back in this one though. The Wild have been really strong throughout this season and I think they will grab the two points in this one. I think Talbot will have a bounce back performance after a tough Thursday night.
BetOnline has Minnesota listed as a -142 against the money line in this one. This implies that the Wild will win this game around 58.7 percent of the time. I agree with this line, but there is not a lot of value in it. Minnesota is also listed at -1 ½ for +175, which I think has a lot of value. I think that the Wild will come out strong in this one to cover the spread on Saturday night.
