Pittsburgh Penguins at Minnesota Wild NHL Picks & Predictions 12/31/2018

Monday, December 31, 2018

Xcel Energy Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Xcel Energy Center to play the Minnesota Wild on Monday, December 31, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Penguins at +105 and the Wild at -130.

Pittsburgh has a record of 20-12-6 this season. They are 3rd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 130 goals and given up 113 goals for a point differential of +17. For the season they have an ATS record of 20-18-0 and an over/under record of 17-16-0. Minnesota is 18-16-3 this season. They are 5th in the Central Division. They have scored 108 goals and surrendered 105 for a goal differential of +3. Their record against the spread is 18-19-0 while their over/under record is 16-17-0.

Valuable Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 20-18-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 17-16-0 against the over/under this season

Important Minnesota Wild Betting Trends

The Minnesota Wild are 18-19-0 straight up this year

The Minnesota Wild are 16-17-0 against the over/under this season

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

12/29/18 D Jamie Oleksiak Concussion is questionable Monday vs Minnesota
10/15/18 D Justin Schultz Lower Body is out indefinitely

Key Minnesota Wild Injuries

12/29/18 D Nick Seeler Upper Body is questionable Monday vs Pittsburgh
12/17/18 D Matt Dumba Upper Body is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Phil Kessel has accumulated 43 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 16 goals this year with 103 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 16%. He has a total of 27 assists on the season and averages 18.2 minutes played per game. Evgeni Malkin averages 18.8 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 12 goals on 92 shots. He has 28 assists, giving him a total of 40 points on the season. Casey DeSmith has 11 wins and 6 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has 700 shots against him and he's given up 52 goals. He's made 648 saves for a save percentage of 93%.

Player Spotlight

Zach Parise has scored 32 total points this year for the Wild. He has 16 goals this season with 110 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 16 assists on the season and averages 18.4 minutes played per game. Jason Zucker averages 17.2 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 10 goals on 102 shots. He has 10 assists, giving him a total of 20 points on the season. Devan Dubnyk has 13 wins and 13 losses this year in goal for the Wild. He has 845 shots against him and he's surrendered 74 goals. He's made 771 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins have 46 total points this season, which ranks them 11th in the NHL. They are 7th in the league in goals scored with 130 while they've given up 113 goals, ranking them 19th overall. They have had 108 power play opportunities and have scored 28 goals on those chances for a percentage of 26%. That is 6th in the NHL. The Penguins have allowed 109 power play opportunities and have given up 17 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%, putting them 3rd in the league when short-handed. They average 33 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.45% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 8th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Wild are 20th in the NHL with a total of 39 points this year. They have 25 power play goals on 111 opportunities for a percentage of 23%. That ranks them 10th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 111 power play opportunities and have given up 17 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 85%. That is 2nd in the NHL. As a team, the Wild are 24th in the league with 108 goals scored while they've given up 105 goals, which is 27th overall. They average 32 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.14%. As a team they give up 29 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 17th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh is 18th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.5%, as they've attempted 2,208 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,249 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 49.9% as they have 1,674 attempts while they have given up 1,682 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 16th in the league. The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 47.8% of the time, which is 25th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 52.2% for the season. That is 7th overall in the NHL. They have 1,171 face-off wins compared to 1,149 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.5%. That ranks them 14th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,120 hits and they have blocked 567 shots from the opposition, putting them 10th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Wild are 16th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 50.7% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 49.3% for the season, which is 17th in the NHL. They have 1,150 face-off wins compared to 1,112 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.8%. That is 11th in the league. On defense Minnesota has 716 hits and they have blocked 571 shots from the opposition, which is 8th in the league. Minnesota is 16th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.8% as they've attempted 2,099 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,113 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 50.8% ranks 12th as they have 1,593 attempts while they have given up 1,542 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Penguins/Wild NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Pittsburgh +105

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink