The Minnesota Wild start a three-game homestand with a late Sunday afternoon game against their division foes, the Nashville Predators. The Wild are coming off an overtime loss on Friday to the Colorado Avalanche. The Predators started their four-game road trip, on a positive note, as they picked up a 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Luke Evangelista scored the game-winner in the third period. Kevin Lankinen made 32 saves in the win. While the Wild is far out of playoff contention, the Predators are currently at the top of the wild card in the Western Conference. So, can the Predators make the postseason with 17 games remaining in the season?
Minnesota Wild vs Nashville Predators Match Details
Fixture: Nashville Predators @ Minnesota Wild
Date and Time: March 10, 2024 @ 3:30 p.m.
Location: Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota
Apex Tale of the Tape
| Minnesota Wild | vs | Nashville Predators |
| 30-27-7 | Record | 37-25-3 |
| 3.08 | Goals Per Game | 3.17 |
| 3.28 | Goals Against Per Game | 3.03 |
| 21.6% | Power Play% | 20.2% |
| 74.4% | Penalty Kill % | 76.8% |
| 30 | Shots Per Game | 31.3 |
| 30.2 | Shots Against Per Game | 30.3 |
| 47.1% | Faceoff% | 49.9% |
| 10.3% | Shooting % | 10.3% |
Key Stats
Minnesota Wild
- Kirill Kaprizov leads the Minnesota Wild in goals (30), points (68), and power-play points (31). Kaprisov has 33 points (14 goals-19 assists) in 26 home games this season.
- Joel Erikkson Ek is second on the Wild with 58 points and leads in power-play goals with 12. Ek has 31 points in 29 home games.
- On the injury front, Jake Middleton and Marat Khusnutdinov will be game-time decisions on Sunday.
- Minnesota is 2-2-1 in their last five games.
Nashville Predators
- Filip Forsberg leads the team in goals (33) and points (67). Forsberg has scored five goals in his last five games.
- Defenseman Roman Josi is second on the team with 62 points and leads the Predators in power-play points with 25.
- The team is healthy, so no one on the injury front to be concerned about.
- Currently, Nashville is the hottest team in the Western Conference. They are 10-0-1 and have won six straight on the road. During this streak, the Minnesota Wild have scored three or more goals in nine of those games.
Minnesota Wild vs Nashville Predators Match prediction
Nashville is rolling along at this moment. The Predators are getting strong goaltending and are scoring a lot of goals. They have defeated the Wild in two of the three games this year, and this team will make it three of four. The Minnesota Wild are treading water and are facing Nashville at the wrong time.
Final Pick
Nashville +1.5 (-205) and Over 6 (+105)
About the author
David covers MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and college sports. Follow him on X at @weightmanstats and follow us at @TotalApexSports. Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
