Nashville Predators @ Minnesota Wild - December 31, 2024

Alright, folks, let’s dive into this matchup between the Nashville Predators and the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The odds are leaning towards Minnesota as the -135 favorites, but with my years of experience in betting, I see some intriguing angles that could lead to a thrilling night.

First off, we have to acknowledge both teams’ recent performances. Minnesota has had its share of struggles lately, going 2-5 in their last seven games and 1-6 against the spread (ATS). They just dropped a game at home against Ottawa, which is never a good sign for a team looking to regain momentum. But here’s where it gets interesting—despite their recent woes, they still boast an average of nearly 3 goals per game (2.944) and a decent shot volume (28 shots per game). Their power play percentage sits around 17%, which isn’t stellar but can be effective if they get opportunities against Nashville’s penalty kill.

Now let’s look at Nashville. They’ve been having a rough time lately too; sitting at 11-19-7 SU isn’t ideal by any means. They’ve lost four out of their last five games ATS and are struggling offensively with just 2.444 goals per game on average. Their shooting percentage is low at around 8.9%, which indicates they’re not capitalizing on chances like they should be.

Defensively, Minnesota has been solid with a save percentage of about 90.7% but struggles on the penalty kill at just 70%. Conversely, Nashville’s defensive unit is slightly better in terms of penalty killing at approximately 85%. Both teams have shown tendencies to go under recently—the total has gone UNDER in four out of Minnesota’s last five games and in sixteen out of Nashville’s last twenty-three.

So what can we expect from this clash? While I predict that Minnesota will likely come away with the victory—given their home advantage and slightly better offensive stats—the Predators might surprise us by covering the spread due to their desperate need for points and potential bounce-back performance.

I foresee this game finishing under the total set at 6.5 goals as both teams struggle to find consistent scoring touch while leaning heavily on their defensive efforts to keep things tight.

In conclusion: I’m betting on Minnesota for the win, Nashville to cover the spread as an underdog, and I’m all-in on the UNDER for total goals scored tonight. Remember folks: when you have a gut feeling backed by stats and experience—never ignore it! Let’s hope for some good fortune tonight!