Wild vs Avalanche Prediction & Picks (March 29): Who’ll Lead Central Division When the Dust Settles?

The Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche are set to collide in a massive NHL matchup on Wednesday, March 29. Minnesota currently sits atop the Central Division with 95 points while Colorado is right behind at 94. With only a handful of games remaining for each side, it’s clear that the final Wild vs Avalanche showdown of the year could have major playoff implications.

Gonna be a Wild one ?

⏰ 9:00 p.m.
? @NHL_On_TNT
? @KFAN1003
? Ball Arena
? @WatchAtToms #mnwild pic.twitter.com/q9MlWVlft7

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 29, 2023

The Wild are on a roll, picking up wins in four of their last five outings. They head into Ball Arena following Monday’s 5-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Matt Boldy scored his second hat trick in five games while Marc-Andre Fleury was a brick wall, turning aside 35 of the 36 shots he faced.

Meanwhile, the Avalanche head back home riding a three-game winning streak. Their latest win was a 5-1 effort against the lowly Anaheim Ducks. Five different Colorado players found the back of the net while Cale Makar tallied a pair of assists.

For those wondering about Wild vs Avalanche betting opportunities, Betting News has you covered. Here’s a look at the matchup’s latest odds, as well as a prediction and the best bets for tonight’s action.

Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Minnesota Wild (43-22-9, 19-11-6 Away) vs. Colorado Avalanche (44-23-6, 20-12-5 Home)
• Venue & Location: Ball Arena (Denver, Colorado)
• Date: Wednesday, March 29, 2023
• Game Time: 10 p.m. Eastern Time
• Wild vs Avalanche TV Info: TNT

Wild vs Avalanche Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Wednesday, March 29 at 10:39 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Minnesota Wild +1.5 (-184)
• Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+152)

Over/Under

• Over 5.5 Goals (-130)
• Under 5.5 Goals (+106)

Moneyline

• Minnesota Wild +132
• Colorado Avalanche -160

Wild vs Avalanche Betting Trends

• Minnesota is 4-1 straight up in its last five games.
• Colorado is 5-1 straight up in its last six home games against Minnesota.
• The total has hit the over in five of Minnesota’s last six road games.
• The total has hit the under in five of Colorado’s last seven home games.
• The total has hit the under in four of the last six Minnesota-Colorado matchups.

Wild vs Avalanche Game Preview

Although the two division rivals are neck-and-neck in the standings, one side has gotten the better of the other this season.

The Avalanche have won their first two matchups against the Wild this season, most recently beating them 3-2 back on Feb. 15. The victory was also Colorado’s seventh in its last 10 meetings with Minnesota, showing just how one-sided this rivalry has been.

The Avalanche now head into tonight’s contest having won nine of their last 10 games over this campaign. They’ve completely dominated the competition over that stretch, outscoring their opponents 40-22 while going 13-of-30 (43.3%) on the power play.

Even more impressive is that Colorado has four players playing at a point-per-game pace during the 10-game span. Unsurprisingly, Nathan MacKinnon paces his team in both assists (13) and points over that stretch.

According to BetOnline Sportsbook, MacKinnon’s projected point total for the night sits at 1.5 with -110 odds on both the over and under.

That’s not even to mention how Makar has racked up a whopping 15 points in his last eight outings while Mikko Rantanen and Valeri Nichushkin sit at 14 and 11 points, respectively, in their previous 10 contests.

Gotta watch out for that Mikko Rantanen guy ?@Avalanche | #GoAvsGo | #NHLNShowcase pic.twitter.com/1qL8nLuES2

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) March 26, 2023

Although the Wild are still without Kirill Kaprizov (lower body), they shouldn’t be counted out. After all, Boldy has stepped up massively in his teammate’s absence.

Since Kaprizov last played on March 8, Boldy has scored 11 goals in the subsequent nine games and nine in the last five. Even more impressive is the fact that he has three multi-game performances in his last five outings alone.

Oddsmakers don’t see Boldy’s offensive tear stopping anytime soon. BetOnline Sportsbook has him available at +175 odds to score, which only trails MacKinnon (+105) and Rantanen (+115) as far as this game goes.

On top of Boldy’s goal-scoring explosion, Ryan Hartman and Marcus Johansson have both been playing well, each tallying 10 points in as many games. Joel Eriksson Ek isn’t too far behind with nine points over that stretch while three other players have tallied seven.

The Wild will likely go with Filip Gustavsson in goal after Fleury won the last game. Fortunately, Gustavsson has played fantastic, going 8-1-4 with a 1.62 goals-against average, .946 save percentage and two shutouts in his last 13 appearances.

Meanwhile, the Avalanche will likely ride with Alexandar Georgiev again. The Russian goaltender has also been solid, recording a 1.98 GAA and .924 SV% with a shutout while winning seven of his last eight starts.

Wild vs Avalanche Prediction and Picks

Wild vs Avalanche Prediction: Wild 3, Avalanche 2

Wild vs Avalanche: Wild ML (Best Value: +132 at BetOnline) & Matt Boldy to Score (Best Value: +175 at BetOnline)

Even though the Avalanche have been great lately, I like the Wild getting the job done. Their goaltending has been better and they should be motivated to avoid the season sweep. The Avs won’t make things easy, but the Wild are good enough to walk out of Ball Arena with a close-fought victory.

I also recommend backing Boldy to score at +175 odds on BetOnline. As mentioned before, he’s elevated his game since Kaprizov was sidelined and tends to find the back of the net more often than not. He’s yet to score against Colorado in five previous Wild vs Avalanche meetings, however, Boldy’s newly found confidence will change that.

Other Wild vs Avalanche Betting Resources

• Wild vs Avalanche Consensus Picks, Score Projections & Betting Stats

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