On paper, the Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars aren’t all that different.
They play with a lot of structures.
They both have superstar talent at the top of their roster.
And they both have strong goaltending.
These are the elements of two teams comfortably playing a low-event grind-it game and betting on themselves to win.
However, a closer look at these two teams makes it look like one of them will be the better value after game 1.
Wild vs. Stars Game 1 Predictions
(9:30 PM ET, ESPN2)
The Minnesota Wild had an exceptional run over the first 50 games of the regular season, but it really caught fire with a 16-1-4 run from mid-February to the end of March.
Minnesota solidified its place in the playoffs with its hot streak, putting the Wilds in a three-way race for the Central Division title with Dallas and eventual winner Colorado.
It’s hard to get away from being impressed that the team scored 33 of the 40 possible points in the NHL and posted a +23 goal difference along the way (especially if Minnesota has played these games without Kirill Kaprizov). (because I played most of it).
Still, it’s worth pointing out that the Minnesota goaltender posted a ridiculous .936 save percentage in that time frame. Philip Gustafsson has been strong in the Wild this season.
It’s very hard to rely on that goaltending standard.
I wish I could have it, but it’s a dangerous game to count on.
As you can imagine, Gustafsson and Marc-André Fleury’s form dipped a bit in the end, with Wild posting a 2-2-1 record over the last five games (locked to the 3rd seed in Game No.). rice field). 80) and missed a chance at the division title.
Despite a dip in form at the end of the season, Gustafsson and Fleury gave the Wilds a decent goaltending advantage over many teams in the playoffs.
Unfortunately Stars is not. The Stars will look to Jake his Ottinger to rediscover his form after years of performance against Calgary in Round 1 of last year’s tournament.
Whether or not that experience meant anything for Ettinger this year is debatable, but Dallas fans are skeptical after the regular season when he posted a . , will have confidence at age 24 (GSAx) in 62 games.
Betting on the NHL?
Goaltending feels like a wash and both teams have a solid blue line, but there is one clear advantage in this battle.
It’s questionable whether Minnesota’s premier center, Joel Erickson Ek, will be in the series.
That’s already a big loss, but it also means Wilde will line up in the middle alongside Ryan Hartman, Frédéric Gaudreau, Sam Steele and Conor Dewar.
With all due respect to those players, there are no true top-line centers, and it could be argued that Hartman and/or Gaudreau are better suited for the number three role.
Meanwhile, the Stars can roll around Lupe Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Tyler Seguin and Radek Faxa.
This is a huge advantage for Dallas and should provide a big enough difference to allow the Stars to win this series more often than these odds imply.
Dallas is within range of winning the series in less than 6 games betting in Game 1.
Wild vs. Stars Pick
Dallas Stars win Game 1 (-140); Dallas Stars -2.5 games (+275, BetMGM)
