Wild vs. Penguins Free NHL Picks and Odds Analysis (Archive)
It’s the front end of a back-to-back for the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night as they make their lone visit of the season to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Which way to lean at BMR’s top-rated sportsbooks?
Let’s break down the NHL odds for this one!
Minnesota Wild vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Saturday, November 6, 2021 – 07:00 PM EDT at PPG Paints Arena
Per usual, a very busy Saturday around the NHL with 12 games – there is one matinee for hockey bettors with the Lightning in Ottawa at 02:00 PM EDT. As for this matchup, available to stream on ESPN+, it’s the Wild’s lone visit of the season to Pittsburgh. The Penguins will visit the Twin Cities on March 31.
Because teams played only inside their divisions last season, the Wild and Penguins didn’t meet. Pittsburgh swept the season before by a combined score of 14-7. It was a 7-3 result in Steel Town as Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists, Evgeni Malkin two goals and an assist, and Bryan Rust a goal and assist. Alas, none of them will play Saturday (see below).
Wild On Extra Rest
Minnesota (6-3-0) has been off since a 5-4 overtime win at home over Ottawa on Tuesday to snap a two-game skid. Reigning Calder Trophy winner Kirill Kaprizov had the overtime winner, his fourth career game-winning goal and the third in overtime. He’s tied for the team lead with eight points but has just that one goal.
Marcus Foligno also has eight points and leads the team with four goals – that fourth came at 10:10 of the second vs. Ottawa to tie the game 4-4. Kevin Fiala had two assists for his first multi-point game of the season. Defenseman Calen Addison had his first NHL goal in his fifth official game. Minnesota is 6-0-0 in one-goal games this season.
Cam Talbot allowed four goals on 28 shots and is now 6-2-0 with a 2.72 GAA and .905 SV. Not clear if it will be Talbot on Saturday, though, because the Wild play again Sunday so second-year Kaapo Kahkonen (0-1-1, 5.36 GAA, .828 SV) should start one of the two. He was very good as a rookie last season but bombed in his lone outing this year vs. Nashville on Oct. 24.
Defenseman Alex Goligoski has missed the past three with an upper-body injury but could return Saturday. He has three assists in six games. Addison was called up to replace him but was sent back down Thursday so that seems to hint Goligoski will play Saturday.
Forwards Mats Zuccarello and Rem Pitlick both are in COVID protocols but both could come out of it by Friday – that doesn’t mean they will be ready to play Saturday. Zuccarello is second on the team with seven points in six games, while Pitlick has an assist in one game.
The Wild are 2-5 on the NHL picks in their past seven as underdogs. The under is 5-0 in Minnesota’s past five on the road.
Letang Stars For Pens In Return
Pittsburgh (4-3-2) got superstar Sidney Crosby back from offseason surgery for one game… only for him to then land on the COVID list. He does have symptoms so won’t be back soon. Defensemen Brian Dumoulin, Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel are on it too. Forward Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust are on injured reserve. That’s a lot missing.
Coach Mike Sullivan is on the COVID list as well. Assistant Todd Reirden will run the team for now. As head coach of the Capitals from 2018-20, Reirden led the team to back-to-back Metropolitan Division titles.
The Pens did get back top defenseman Kris Letang off the COVID list on Thursday and ended a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 OT win over Philadelphia. Naturally, Letang scored the OT winner while playing a whopping 28:54. So much for easing him back in. It was Letang’s seventh career OT goal, third among all active defensemen. San Jose’s Brent Burns leads with 15.
Tristan Jarry allowed two goals on 38 shots to improve to 4-2-1 with a 2.12 goals-against-average and a .930 save percentage in 2021-22. There’s no reason Jarry won’t start this one as the Pens don’t play again until Tuesday and backup Casey DeSmith is a major downgrade.
Pittsburgh is 1-4 in its past five after a win. The under is 3-0-1 in its past four as a home favorite. With so many key offensive guys out on both sides potentially and Jarry playing well, we prefer the total to the side for the NHL pick in this one.
NHL Pick: Under 5.5 Goals (+113) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.