Minnesota Wild vs Dallas Stars Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/17/2023

Game Time: 9:30 pm ET, Monday, April 17, 2023

Venue:  American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

Where to Watch:  ESPN2

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Wild +120, Stars -140; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Wild +120, Stars -140; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Wild +120, Stars -140; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Minnesota Wild:  46-25-11 (3rd place, Central Division)

Dallas Stars:  47-21-14 (2nd place, Central Division)

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Minnesota Wild:  5-3-2 last 10

Dallas Stars:  8-2-0 last 10

The Wild are entering this game finishing the regular season with 103 points, a 46-25-11 record overall, and they were 21-13-7 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Winnipeg Jets and the Nashville Predators in their last game, losing that one on the road 4-3. Frédérick Gaudreau scored 2 goals in that game while Nic Petan had 1 goal. Gustav Nyquist led the team in assists with 2 while Nic Petan and Connor Dewar each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Filip Gustavsson was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 31 shots with 27 saves and a .871 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 246 goals this season averaging 3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 225 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.

The Stars are entering this game finishing the regular season with 108 points, a 47-21-14 record overall, and they were 22-10-9 in their home games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 6 game winning streak with wins coming against the Nashville Predators, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Detroit Red Wings, and the St Louis Blues in their last 2 games, winning that last one at home 1-0. Wyatt Johnston had 1 goal. Jamie Benn and Evgenii Dadonov each led the team in assists with 1 while Jason Robertson and Tyler Seguin each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Jake Oettinger was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 0 goals on 25 shots with 25 saves and a 1.000 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 285 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 218 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Wild listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 1 of a 7-game series between the Wild and the Stars for the 1st round of the NHL Western Conference playoffs. The Stars had a great season with 108 points and they were fighting with the Avalanche right to the end for the Central Division, but the Wild also had a great year with 103 points and they have one of the best defenses in the league. The Wild weren't great in their road games with a 21-13-7 road record but the Stars weren't any better in their home games with their 22-10-9 home record. The Wild finished the season with 2 losses in a row while the Stars were very hot with 6 wins in a row but both of these teams have been great defensively all year and this is going to be a very tight game either way. Both teams also have great goaltending so this is going to be a lower scoring game that stays under the total, but it will also be a very tight game where the winner will be by just 1 goal. The value here is with the Wild to keep this a close game and even pull off the upset win. The best way to place a bet here is on the Wild to win this game and on the puckline.

Wild Stars Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Monday, April 17, 2023 (9:30 pm ET start time) is Wild 2 Stars 1.

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Minnesota Wild: 139-93 (+19.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 70-47 (+13.8 units) on the moneyline after a division game. 24-15 UNDER after playing a road game. 25-16 UNDER second half of the season.

Dallas Stars: 20-22 (-13.4 units) on the moneyline after 1 or more consecutive unders. 9-11 (-5.5 units) on the moneyline off a home win. 26-12 UNDER after playing a home game. 16-9 UNDER in the 1st game of a playoff series.

Minnesota Wild:  S. Steel (C) Prob Mon - Illness. O. Sundqvist (C) Ques Mon - Lower Body. M. Johansson (LW) Ques Mon - Upper Body. J. Eriksson Ek (C) Out indefinitely - Lower Body. M. Shaw (C) out for season - Knee.

Dallas Stars:  None.

“We thought we competed. We got a point and the way that the guys competed was positive.” - Dean Evason after his team’s loss against the Predators in their final game of the regular season. 

“We took care of our business, did what we had to do. You know, if you can’t win the division with 108 points, hats off to Colorado. We’ll take whoever we end up having to play.” - Peter DeBoer after his team’s win against the Blues in their final game of the regular season. 

LW Kaprizov, Kirill

C Hartman, Ryan

RW Zuccarello, Mats

LD Middleton, Jacob

RD Spurgeon, Jared

G Gustavsson, Filip

LW Robertson, Jason

C Hintz, Roope

RW Pavelski, Joe

LD Suter, Ryan

RD Heiskanen, Miro

G Oettinger, Jake

Points: K. Kaprizov (75)

Goals: K. Kaprizov (40)

Assists: M. Zuccarello (45)

GAA: F. Gustavsson (2.10)

Points: J. Robertson (109)

Goals: J. Robertson (46)

Assists: J. Robertson (63)

GAA: J. Oettinger (2.37)

Coaches:

Minnesota Wild: Dean Evason (4th season)

Dallas Stars: Peter DeBoer (1st season)