Wild vs. Canucks Odds
| Wild Odds | +118 |
| Canucks Odds | -142 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -105/ -115 |
Here's everything you need to know about Wild vs. Canucks on Thursday, Dec. 7 — our expert NHL preview and prediction.
Minnesota has controlled this matchup over the past few seasons, winning each of the past six meetings.
Will the Wild take care of business again, or can Vancouver grab its first win in the series since 2020?
Let's dig into the NHL odds and make a Wild vs. Canucks prediction.
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Minnesota Wild
Minnesota has yet to lose since firing Dean Evason and bringing in John Hynes, winning each of its past four games. I am a big believer in Evason and think he will be successful wherever he goes next, but there is something about Hynes that has re-ignited this lineup.
A big problem for the Wild is their depth, and when the top guys aren't scoring, they are in a lot of trouble, which is why they struggled so much early in the season. However, since Hynes has come in, Kirill Kaprizov has two goals and three assists in four games while Matt Boldy has posted four goals and an assist over the same stretch.
The other main problem for Minnesota under Evason was his special teams. Over the past four games under Hynes, the Wild are 4-11 on the power play for a stellar 36% clip.
Meanwhile, the penalty kill is 13-14 over the same stretch for a 93% mark. While that is obviously a small sample size, both of those percentages would lead the league.
Meanwhile, the blue line continues to be outstanding at even strength. At 5-on-5, Minnesota ranks sixth in the league in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60).
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Vancouver Canucks
After a dominating start to the campaign, the Canucks have cooled down with a 4-6 mark over their past 10 games. This trend is likely to continue against the red-hot Wild, for a few reasons.
First, Thatcher Demko has been inconsistent. He's allowed four or more goals in five of his past 10 starts, posting a 5-5 record with a .889 SV% and 3.21 GAA over that stretch.
Demko has also never beaten Minnesota in his career, going 0-3-2 with a .900 SV% and 3.40 GAA. Now, to be completely fair to Vancouver's netminder, the defensive play in front of him has not been spectacular.
At 5-on-5, the Canucks rank in the bottom half of the league in xGA/60. The offense, which is first in the league in goals scored per game, is also due for regression as it ranks in the bottom half of the league in xGF/60 at 5-on-5.
This expected regression is likely to come to fruition against a strong Minnesota blue line.
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Wild vs. Canucks
Betting Pick & Prediction
I'm going to keep riding this Minnesota win streak until the wheels fall off the wagon. Not that I want to give Hynes all the credit for starting to turn this ship around, but it is noticeable how much better the top-six forward group is playing under him as well as the drastic improvement on special teams.
Those have been the two biggest weaknesses for the Wild, and if those holes are being patched, then this team can surely get back into the playoff race as we approach the midway point of the season. Meanwhile, Vancouver is obviously a very good team, but it is due for regression both offensively and defensively.
Considering that the Canucks haven't beaten the Wild since 2020, this regression could come to fruition on Thursday night. You can catch Minnesota at +118 via FanDuel, which is eight cents wider than the rest of the market at the time of writing.
Pick: Wild ML (+118 at FanDuel | Play to +100)
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