Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild came back home after their Frozen Frenzy loss and snuck by the St. Louis Blues with a 5–4 win. Now at 5-2-1 on the season, they are remaining a threat in the Central Division, as expected, and why plenty of Blue Jackets vs Wild predictions will be focused on them.
Not only have they become a perennial threat alongside the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars in the division, but they are also still on home ice hosting a Columbus Blue Jackets team that will be on the second leg of a back-to-back after playing the New York Rangers -- and back-to-backs are even more concerning for teams that don’t exactly have elite goaltending. Add on top of that a potent Wild attack and it’s a recipe for disaster. The key for Minnesota coming through for Blue Jackets vs Wild predictions is its improved goaltending.
Kaprizov has always made sure that they can score, but last season goaltending massively improved with Jesper Wallstedt in net. The Wild are allowing the seventh-fewest goals per game so far this season, so we’re backing a smooth win on home ice for Minnesota.
Blue Jackets vs Wild prediction: Minnesota -1.5 (+136) available at time of publishing. Playable to +125.
