Is the total for Saturday night’s Wild vs. Hurricanes matchup set too low by oddsmakers? The puck will drop from Lenovo Center at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
Minnesota Wild (+165) at Carolina Hurricanes (-200); o/u 5.5
7:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, January 4, 2025
Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC
TV: ESPN+
Wild vs. Hurricanes Public Betting: Bettors Favoring Carolina
As of this writing, our NHL Public Betting Page shows that 66% of bets are on the Hurricanes moneyline. That said, this page is updated frequently so make sure that you click on the link provided to get the most up-to-date public betting information.
Kaprizov yet to resume skating for Wild
Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) hasn’t resumed skating and could be out beyond Saturday’s clash with Carolina after general manager Bill Guerin told reporters Thursday, “The thing is that we don’t want him to come back and push through. He could, but it could make something worse. We need him for the long haul. We don’t just need him for a couple games in January. We need him to get healthy and feel better, so we’re trying to do the right thing and just look at it from the long point of view,” per Michael Russo of The Athletic.
Kaprizov is already on injured reserve and will miss his fifth straight game Saturday. Prior to getting hurt, the 27-year-old winger had picked up a point in five of his last six outings, racking up five goals and two helpers over that stretch. With Kaprizov on the shelf, Matt Boldy is getting a look at a first-line role alongside Marco Rossi and Mats Zuccarello.
Staal provides assist, two shots on goal
Jordan Staal provided an assist, two shots on goal, six hits and two blocked shots in Thursday’s 3-1 win over the Panthers. Staal had gone three games without a point coming out of the holiday break. The 36-year-old center has a goal and five assists over his last nine outings, though that’s an unusually strong stretch of offense for the third-line center. He’s at 15 points, 53 shots on net, 58 hits, 20 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating over 38 appearances this season.
Wild vs. Hurricanes Betting Trends:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Minnesota is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Carolina
Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Carolina’s last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Wild vs. Hurricanes Betting Prediction
I think the number is too low for this matchup. The Wild have combined for nine goals in their last two games and their goal prevention has been shaky of late. In Minnesota’s last six contests, the Wild allowed at least three goals in all but one of those games (a 3-2 overtime win over the Stars).
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes’ recent 3-1 win over the Panthers was the first time the over didn’t cash in a Carolina game since December 22. The over had hit in four consecutive games for the Hurricanes, who have scored a combined 11 goals in their last three games. The over is also 6-4 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
Wild vs. Hurricanes Prediction: Over 5.5