Minnesota Wild (29-27-6) vs. Colorado Avalanche (38-20-5)
Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche 3/8/24 – As the NHL regular season progresses, the Minnesota Wild take on the Colorado Avalanche in a compelling matchup on Friday. With both teams fighting fiercely in their respective standings, this game promises to be a battleground for playoff positioning. The Wild, holding a near-even record, face a tough challenge against the Avalanche, who boast a stronger win-loss tally. This clash will be a spectacle for hockey fans and bettors alike, offering a wealth of free NHL daily predictions.
The Minnesota Wild have really been stingy and, most importantly, high-flying when it comes to scoring goals. With a tremendous versatile player leading the way in the way of left-winger Kirill Kaprizov, with yet another impressive 29 goals and 37 assists, critical help will come against the Avs’ defense. Center Joel Eriksson Ek and right winger Mats Zuccarello help Kaprizov be in that scoring ability and playmaker role huge, and they threaten often to get scores too. However, the win for the Wild in this contest hamstrings on breaking into the Avalanche defensive setup, which on the road games, especially, hostility has been shown against the spread.
Forwards whom the Wild will need to literally keep an eye out for such an array will be from the Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon, curbing a great 105 points from 39 goals and 66 assists, serves as an unbelievable center. Add to this the other 145 points supplementing the attack of the Avalanche that come from right winger Mikko Rantanen and defenseman Cale Makar; the trio will, for sure, test the goaltending of the Wild. What’s going to be a bigger test is the high-scoring nature of the Avalanche against goaltender for the Wild, in Filip Gustavsson, whose season has had its share of highs and lows.
Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche 3/8/24 Game Info
| When: | Friday, March 8, 2024 at 9:00 PM ET |
| Where: | Ball Arena |
| TV: | NHL |
| Stream: | NHL.TV |
Goaltender Filip Gustavsson vs. Goaltender Akira Schmid
Filip Gustavsson‘s time in the crease for the Minnesota Wild has been one of resilience and adaptability. Gustavsson has played 37 games and gotten 17 wins, 15 losses, and 3 overtime losses, making it through a rough season and still getting respect. He holds the average of 3.30 in goals against, .892 in save percentage—not too effective but standing in good stead in the clutch moments. What that means is that a team like the Wild has to pull off some really stellar stuff to just be in with a chance against the likes of an offensive powerhouse—the Avalanche. He has already had the test of over 1,057 shots over the course of this season and hence must have appropriately sharpened his reflexes and positioning by now. Now, lining up with the likes of sharp-shooters Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen with all their artistry, the biggest challenge is ahead.
On the other side, the Colorado Avalanche have some promising talent; 20 years old, Akira Schmid. With 18 games into his season, his record at 5-8-1 isn’t going to resemble a rising team. Still, a .897 save percentage and a 3.09 GAA can mean pressure upon potential. He’s maybe not experienced at this level like Gustavsson, but his agility and quick thinking will be tested at their maximum in this tournament, containing such potential threats like dynamos Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek, amongst others, to the Wild’s forward lines. Whether Schmid continues to get used to that pace at this level, his performance on this night at large would be one of the key factors in if the Avalanche find success against a quality opponent, so the goaltending matchup will certainly figure largely into those storylines.
NHL Odds/Point Spread: TBD, Total Odds: TBD
As betting odds and point spreads are yet to be determined, it’s essential to keep a close eye on updates. Given the teams’ current forms and historical performances, bettors will need to weigh the Wild’s tenacity against the Avalanche’s offensive depth.
Minnesota Wild Betting Trends
The Wild have therefore been consistent, going 4-1 against the spread in their last 5 games and with a solid road record to the spread of 17-13. Yet performance by way of the total going over in recent games suggests a lift towards either high scores or tight games.
Colorado Avalanche Betting Trends
The Avalanche are 3-2 in their last five games but 1-4 against the spread, airing out an apparent difference between how strong they seem to be and how they actually perform. A closer look over their road games against the spread record will show an 11-22 record and may give away struggles away from home—this may not factor in just because this is a home game but surprisingly amounts to overall volatility.
Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche 3/8/24 Betting Picks
Based on analysis and betting trends, this setting will be in for a determination battle as Minnesota Wild take on the scoring battle of Colorado Avalanche. The rest will be to the teams’ defense and goalkeeping success coming from capitalizing from available chances from all stars. With the firepower both teams boast offensively and the goaltenders’ statistics, it’ll likely yield the Avalanche and Wild into quite a high-scoring game.
This prediction suggests a tightly-contested matchup, likely decided in the late stages or even overtime. Bettors should consider betting over total goals due to both teams’ offensive capabilities. According to pro multi-handicapper predictions, while Avalanche are clear favorites against the spread, recent Wild performances against it make them an attractive pick for those betting against it.
Free Pick and Prediction: Colorado Avalanche 4, Minnesota Wild 3.