Pittsburgh Penguins vs Minnesota Wild Prediction, 3/9/2025 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Minnesota Wild

Date: Sunday, March 9, 2025

Location: Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN

TV: Fanduel Sports Network

Odds/Point Spread: Penguins (+126) Wild (-152)

Xcel Energy Center is the location where the Minnesota Wild (36-22-4) will compete against the Pittsburgh Penguins (24-30-10) on Sunday. The line on this matchup has Pittsburgh at +126 and Minnesota is coming in at -152. The betting total comes in at 6.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to get a win in their next outing after their 4-1 loss against the Avalanche their last time out. Pittsburgh garnered 2 penalty minutes in this game. The Penguins had a rough night on the offensive side of the ice in the defeat. Additionally, they had 2 chances with extra men on the ice but didn't convert them into a score. In the game, they converted 1 out of the 33 shots they put on net.

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Pittsburgh Penguins opponents have tallied 166 power play tries (21st in professional hockey) and have racked up 36 goals in those chances. The Penguins so far have had 1,931 shots taken against them and have a save percentage of .880. Pittsburgh has attempted 1,850 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 9.9%. At even strength, the Penguins have surrendered 196 goals while scoring 140 as an offensive unit. Pittsburgh has 180 power play chances and they have scored 43 goals out of those chances, earning them a rate of 23.89%. For the current campaign, they have racked up 58 points and their points percentage sits at .453. Regarding their goal scoring prowess, the Pittsburgh Penguins have racked up 183 goals (17th in the league) on the year and have given up 232.

The player protecting the goal in this game is Alex Nedeljkovic. For his professional hockey career, Nedeljkovic is sitting with 82 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .526. His save percentage is at .903 in his 7,898 minutes between the pipes. Nedeljkovic has had 4,981 shots taken against him and he has 4,499 total saves. The opposition has been able to score 482 goals versus Nedeljkovic in his pro hockey career and his goals against average is 3.66. He has compiled a win-loss mark of 72-58-27 and he was named the starter in 156 games. Nedeljkovic has been involved in 173 matchups over the course of his NHL career.

In their last game, Minnesota went up against the Kraken in an outing where the Wild notched a win by a score of 4-3. They had 1 power play opportunity in this one and converted 1 on that try. The Wild notched 4 goals out of the 20 shots on goal they were seeking.

Minnesota has attempted 1,696 shots (27th in professional hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 10.32%, while allowing their opponents 1,860 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 70.25% on their opponents 158 power play opportunities, and their save percentage is 90.5%. They have recorded 156 power play opportunities and they have a power play rate of 19.87%. The Wild have accumulated 144 goals at even strength and 31 goals (24th in pro hockey) while having a power play advantage. They have permitted 177 goals to be scored by way of 130 goals at even strength and 47 goals while they were shorthanded. On the season, the Minnesota Wild have earned a total of 175 goals, 76 points, in addition to a points percentage of .613.

For the opposition you are likely to see Filip Gustavsson defending the goal. Gustavsson has a career record of 76-53-17 and has been in goal for 152 games. Gustavsson's quality start percentage comes out to 59.7% and he has accumulated 86 quality starts in his hockey career. He has gathered 4,117 stops out of 4,511 shots tried, giving him a rate of .913. The opposition is averaging 3.66 goals per game and he has surrendered 394 goals in total. He has made the start in 144 games and his ice time sits at 6,456 mins.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (+126)

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