The Minnesota Wild host the struggling Chicago Blackhawks, Wednesday Mar 31, as the Wild fight for a playoff spot. It's the fourth and final meeting between the teams after the Blackhawks won the first two. NHL oddsmakers at SPORTSBETTING.com have the Blackhawks as -130 moneyline favs over the Wild (+110) with the over/under set at 6 goals . Be sure to get your Chicago Blackhawks vs Minnesota Wild NHL Picks in early at SPORTSBETTING.com
The Blackhawks (46-22-1-6) have lost seven of ten and four of their last five away from home. They are 19-14-0-4 on the road where they average 3.05 GAG and allow 2.70 GAG. They recently lost in St.Louis 2-4 despite goals from Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa in the first period. Goalie Antti Niemi is 6-4 in his last ten with a 3.70 GAA. Overall he’s 20-7-3 with a 2.31 GAA and a .908 SVPCT. The Hawks are headed to the Central Division title and no worse than the No. 2 seed in the West, but they're not exactly finishing heading to the playoffs. The Hawks problems have been a power outage with the man advantage. The Hawks were 0-for-2 in the loss at St. Louis, dropping them to 4-for-40 in their last 11 games . They’re also having problems stopping the puck from entering the net, Cristobal Huet is 3-7 with a 3.80 GAA. Antti Niemi is playing better than Heut but he is still playing just as bad. Their netminders might be a bigger problem than they thought before heading into the playoffs, where you should be excelling. Marian Hossa has three goals in the Hawks' three games against the Wild. Sharp has a five-game scoring streak with 3 goals and 2 assists.
The Wild (37-33-0-6) have won six of ten and four of their last five on home ice. They are 25-10-0-3 at home where they average 3.24 GAG and allow 2.76 GAG. They recently beat LA 3-2 at home thanks to goals from Owen Nolan, Brent Burns and Martin Havlat. Goalie Niklas Backstrom is 4-6 in his last ten with a 3.00 GAA. Overall he’s 26-20-6 with a 2.67 GAA and a .903 SVPCT. Minnesota starts play nine points out of a playoff spot but they continue to play hard. "It's pride. It's also our jobs. We just have to keep going," said forward Owen Nolan, who has goals in back-to-back games after scoring against Los Angeles. The Wild’s starting goalie Josh Harding is out for the rest of the season with a torn labrum and Niklas Backstrom will be expected to fill the void. They are producing on the powerplay with goals in five straight games, or six goals in 16 powerplays . They allowed three goals on the penalty kill in six straight, or 27 kills.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Under is 4-1-2 in the last 7 meetings.
- Blackhawks are 7-19-1 in the last 27 meetings.
- Blackhawks are 3-13 in the last 16 meetings in Minnesota.
- Wild are 6-1 in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
- Wild are 8-2 in their last 10 games as a home underdog.
- Wild are 4-1 in their last 5 home games.
Chicago Blackhawks vs Minnesota Wild
When: Wednesday Mar 31, 2009 8:00 PM ET
Line: SPORTSBETTING.com
Pick: Wild +110
Point-Spreads.com Chicago Blackhawks vs Minnesota Wild NHL Picks
The Bottom Line: The Hawks have problems in net and are struggling while the Wild are hot at home. Be sure to get your Chicago Blackhawks vs Minnesota Wild NHL Picks in early at SPORTSBETTING.com Cash in with sign-up bonuses, weekly reload bonuses and free payout s at SPORTSBETTING.com, where betting is safe, secure and easy.
