Minnesota Wild vs Winnipeg Jets Prediction, Odds & Picks (March 8): Minnesota Extends Winnipeg’s Skid

Wednesday, March 8’s NHL schedule features the Minnesota Wild colliding with the Winnipeg Jets in a Central Division battle. Minnesota and Winnipeg currently sit second and third, respectively, in the division, making tonight's Wild vs Jets matchup somewhat of a potential playoff series preview.

Back at it tomorrow night. #mnwild x @TRIAOrthopedics pic.twitter.com/H3XPsz7edW

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 8, 2023

The Wild were in action just last night, going the distance and losing 1-0 to the Calgary Flames in a shootout. Filip Gustavsson stopped all 26 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season, but it wasn't good enough as the Flames scored twice in the shootout to steal the victory.

On the other side, the Jets have struggled to find success for the better part of the last two weeks. They’ve gone 1-4-2 in their last seven outings, most recently falling 3-2 in overtime to the lowly San Jose Sharks on Monday. With the Colorado Avalanche breathing down their neck, the Jets can’t afford another loss.

On top of what should be an exciting game, tonight’s Wild vs Jets showdown brings some interesting betting opportunities to the table. Here’s a look at BetOnline Sportsbook’s latest odds for the game, as well as a prediction and the best bet to make, courtesy of Betting News.

Minnesota Wild vs Winnipeg Jets Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Minnesota Wild (36-21-7, 15-11-4 Away) vs. Winnipeg Jets (36-25-3, 21-10-2 Home)
• Venue & Location: Canada Life Centre (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
• Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
• Game Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
• Wild vs Jets TV Info: ESN+

Wild vs Jets Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Wednesday, March 8 at 7:55 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Minnesota Wild +1.5 (-225)
• Winnipeg Jets -1.5 (+184)

Over/Under

• Over 5.5 Goals (-118)
• Under 5.5 Goals (-104)

Moneyline

• Minnesota Wild +114
• Winnipeg Jets -137

Wild vs Jets Betting Trends

• Minnesota is 10-4 straight up in its last 14 games against Winnipeg.
• Winnipeg is 2-8 straight up in its last 10 games.
• The total has hit the under in each of Minnesota’s last four road games.
• The total has hit the under in 11 of Winnipeg’s last 19 games against the Central Division.
• The total has hit the over in seven of the last 10 Minnesota-Winnipeg matchups.

Can Wild Continue Point Streak?

Although the Wild’s offense failed them last night, they still managed to salvage a point in the loss. The singular point extended the team’s point streak to 10 consecutive games (8-0-2 over that stretch) and now they look to make it an 11th contest in a row against a slumping Jets squad.

One area that the Wild have had the advantage in lately is goaltending. During their 10-game run, the Wild have only surrendered 11 regulation and overtime goals with three shutouts. For comparison, the Jets have allowed 23 goals over their last five games alone.

After Gustavsson’s exhausting performance last night, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Wild turned to Marc-Andre Fleury again. The veteran goaltender has turned back the clock lately, winning each of his last three starts while recording a 0.98 goals-against average, .961 save percentage and one shutout along the way.

Meanwhile, Jets probable goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (per Daily Faceoff) is 1-3-1 with a 4.81 GAA and .854 SV% in his last five starts. While he was victorious in his last outing, he still surrendered five goals on 35 shots. Even worse is that he’s lost five of his last seven outings against Minnesota, allowing three-plus goals in all but one of those contests.

The Jets also haven’t had much success at home lately. They’ve lost four of their last five outings at Canadian Life Centre, surrendering 4.4 goals per game in the process.

Unfortunately for Winnipeg, Minnesota has been playing well on the road. The Wild have wins in three of their last four road games, allowing just three total goals with two shutouts.

WILD WIN ? WILD WIN
GUS ? SHUTOUT#MNWild vs #Flames pic.twitter.com/gGv1YK5YxT

— MN State of Hockey (@MinnesotaSOH) March 5, 2023

The Wild have also been able to find recent success due to Kirill Kaprizov’s offensive production. The dynamic superstar has 11 goals in his last 14 games and is showing no signs of slowing down. Considering how he also has 12 points in six career games against the Jets, Minnesota needs Kaprizov to step up again tonight.

On the other side, some of the Jets’ top players have gone missing. Here’s a look at how some of them have been performing lately:

• Pierre-Luc Dubois: two goals in last 11 games
• Nikolaj Ehlers: one goal in last 17 games
• Blake Wheeler: 10-game goal-scoring drought
• Adam Lowry: one goal in last 37 games

Regardless of how you look at it, it’s going to be hard winning games when a good chunk of the Jets’ top-six forwards combined can’t match Kaprizov’s recent production.

Even worse for Winnipeg is that it has lost 10 of the last 14 Wild vs Jets matchups. Considering how the Wild already won the first two season games by a combined score of 10-2, it’s safe to say that the Jets have their work cut out for them.

Wild vs Jets Prediction and Picks

Wild vs Jets Prediction: Wild 4, Jets 2

Wild vs Jets Picks: Wild ML (Best Value: +114 at BetOnline) & Over 5.5 Goals (Best Value: -118 at BetOnline)

The odds may favor the Jets, but I’m siding with the Wild tonight. Minnesota has played near-flawless hockey lately, whereas Winnipeg has done anything but that. The Wild have already dominated the Jets this season and even though they’re playing without any rest, Dean Evason’s club clearly has the tools to handle the home team.

With the total going over in seven of the last 10 Wild vs Jets showdowns, I’m backing the over once again. Winnipeg has been allowing a lot of goals lately and while Minnesota hasn’t, a 5.5-goal total isn’t that hard to surpass. After all, the Central Division rivals have seen a 6.6-goal average over the aforementioned last 10 meetings.

Other Minnesota vs Winnipeg Betting Resources

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