Washington Capitals vs Minnesota Wild Prediction, 3/19/2023 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Washington Capitals vs Minnesota Wild

Date: Sunday, March 19, 2023

Location: Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN

TV: Bally Sports North

The Minnesota Wild (39-21-8) will compete against the Washington Capitals (33-30-7) at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday.

The Washington Capitals will look to clean up some issues after taking a 5-2 loss against the Blues their last time out. Washington accumulated 2 penalty minutes in this game. They also had 4 power play opportunities and were able to notch 1 goal. The Capitals didn't have a great showing offensively in the loss. For the game, they finished 2 out of the 34 shots they put on goal.

When discussing their scoring capabilities, the Washington Capitals have accumulated 216 goals (17th in hockey) on the season and have conceded 211. For the current season, they sit with 73 points and their points percentage is .521. Washington has accumulated 216 power play opportunities and they have notched 45 goals out of those chances, giving them a rate of 20.83%. While at even strength, the Capitals have conceded 178 goals while getting 171 themselves. Washington has attempted 2,196 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 9.8%. The Capitals have had 2,117 shots attempted against them and have a save percentage of .900. Washington Capitals opponents have earned 192 power play tries (29th in the league) and have come away with 33 goals in those attempts.

The man protecting the net in this game is Darcy Kuemper. Opponents have notched 824 goals against Kuemper in his pro hockey career and his goals against average per contest is 2.52. Kuemper has been involved in 347 games during his NHL career. His save percentage sits at .917 in his 19,584 mins played. He has a mark of 163-117-41 and he was named the starter in 330 games. In his professional hockey career, Kuemper is sitting with 184 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .558. Kuemper has seen 9,882 shot attempts against him and has recorded 9,058 saves.

In their last outing, Minnesota went up against the Blues in a game where the Wild got the win by a final of 8-5. They had 4 chances on the power play in this matchup and tallied 2 out of those opportunities. The Wild tallied 8 goals out of the 35 shots on goal they were seeking.

Minnesota has taken 2,136 shots (18th in the NHL) and has a shooting percentage of 9.18%, while allowing the other team 2,060 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 80.93% on their oppositions 215 power play opportunities, and their save percentage is 91.3%. They have a total of 212 power play opportunities and they have a power play rate of 22.64%. The Wild have racked up 148 goals at even strength and 48 goals (15th in the NHL) while on the power play. They have granted a total of 179 goals to be scored by way of 138 goals at even strength and 41 goals while they had less men on the ice. On the campaign, the Minnesota Wild have earned 196 goals, 86 points, as well as a points percentage of .632.

On the other side of the ice you will find Filip Gustavsson defending the goal. Teams are averaging 2.51 goals per contest and he has yielded 140 goals altogether. Gustavsson's quality start percentage is 67.3% and he has qualified for 35 quality starts in his NHL career. He has started in 52 games and his ice time sits at 3,340 minutes. Gustavsson is sitting with a lifetime record of 27-21-8 and has been in net for 58 games. He is sitting with 1,570 saves out of 1,710 shots attempted against him, giving him a save percentage of .918.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh's Pick: Take Minnesota

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