Minnesota vs Edmonton Prediction 16 January 2025

🔊 Will the "Wild" hold onto third place in the West? Minnesota continues to play without their main Russian sniper, and points are becoming increasingly difficult for the team to secure. Ahead lies a confrontation with their main competitor for a spot in the leading group. Edmonton, on the other hand, is almost not losing any points and is steadily moving towards leadership in the Western Conference. We are in for a clash of favorites in different playing forms.

📊 Head-to-Head

In the current regular season, the opponents have met twice and exchanged away victories. First, the "Wild" triumphed in Alberta (5:3), and then the "Oilers" returned the favor in St. Paul (7:1). The most productive player in those encounters was Edmonton's forward Leon Draisaitl. The German scored a total of two goals and provided two assists. There are no questions about the player's current form; he is one of the top scorers in the NHL and has scored points in 17 out of the last 18 games.

🟢 Minnesota

The impressive winning streak of the home team has been interrupted. In the last three games, John Hynes' squad suffered two defeats - against Colorado (1:6) and Vegas (1:4). In both cases, these were direct competitors for a spot in the Western playoff eight. Nevertheless, the club continues to hold onto a top-three spot in their conference, so there is no talk of a full-blown game crisis here. The team is clearly affected by the absence due to injury of their main sniper - forward Kirill Kaprizov. The Russian has already missed more than two weeks, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the team to achieve success in attack without their "leader." Now, the club faces yet another tough challenge.

🔵 Edmonton

Chris Knoblauch's team is not losing their "cruising" speed and is collecting their routine points. In the last seven games, the "Oilers" made only one slip-up, losing to Pittsburgh away (3:5). However, this local failure was only possible thanks to an outstanding performance by Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby. In all other cases, the players from Alberta pragmatically gathered a collection of points. In the top five scorers of the regular season, there are two representatives from the club: Leon Draisaitl (64) and Connor McDavid (59). These two almost never leave the ice without scoring points and consistently tip the scales in favor of their team.

🔗 Probable Lineups

Minnesota: Gustavsson - Middleton, Bogosian - Boldy, Rossi, Zuccarello

Edmonton: Skinner - Ekholm, Bouchard - Nugent-Hopkins, McDavid, Hyman

🥅 Goalkeepers

Minnesota's goalkeeper Filip Gustavsson has fallen into an uncharacteristic game crisis. In the last three games, the Swede has not once managed to maintain a save percentage above 90%. It is entirely logical that his team lost twice during this period. The goalie will have to regain form through a trial against the star-studded attack of the "Oilers."

Edmonton's goalkeeper Stuart Skinner has gradually reached peak form. In the last three games, the Canadian recorded two shutouts, first allowing nothing to Boston's attack (4:0), and then handling Los Angeles' offense (1:0). It is still quite difficult to say whether the goalie can maintain such convincing play for long or if there will be another slump, but currently, he is proving his worth and quelling criticism directed at him.

📝 Editor's Prediction

Despite the victory over Los Angeles by a minimal margin (1:0), most of the "Oilers'" matches are accompanied by a goal fest. The team boasts an impressive array of talented attacking players, so no one is planning to sit back in defense here. Minnesota has not been able to boast perfect play on their side of the rink lately and is unlikely to leave their opponent on a starvation diet. Moreover, the "Wild" will have to respond blow for blow. In our opinion, fans in the stands may very well witness a bright goal shootout. We recommend betting on - total over 5.5 pucks.