Trent Reinsmith
- What: Seattle Kraken vs. Minnesota Wild
- Date: Monday, March 27, 2023
- Location: Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: ESPN+, hulu, TVAS
Two Western Conference clubs who look like they are destined for the 2023 NHL playoffs meet tonight in Minnesota when the Seattle Kraken, who are at the top of the Western Conference wild card race, face the Minnesota Wild on the road. Minnesota is the No. 1 team in the Central Division as the 2023 NHL regular season winds to a close.
Seattle is not a lock to make the playoffs, but with 10 games left in the season they have 88 points thanks to their 40-24-8 record. The Kraken are the top team in the Western Conference wild card race with a three-point lead on the Winnipeg Jets and seven points more than the Calgary Flames. Seattle also has two games in hand on both those teams. The Kraken enter tonight’s game opposite the Wild with an outstanding 24-9-4 road record. The club is 5-3-2 in its past 10 outings and coming off a 7-2 road win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
With nine games left in their season, Minnesota is in a battle for the top spot in the Central. While the Wild hold that position right now with 93 points (42-22-9), they are only ahead of the Dallas Stars by one point and three points in front of the Colorado Avalanche. Minnesota is 6-3-1 in its past 10 games, and the team is coming off a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at home. The Wild are a 23-11-3 team playing in their own barn in 2023.
Before we look at the betting breakdown for tonight’s NHL matchup between the Seattle Kraken and the Minnesota Wild, check out our guide to betting on the 2023 Stanley Cup and our tips for betting on the NHL.
Seattle Kraken vs. Minnesota Wild picks for March 27, 2023
| Teams |  |  |  |
| Seattle Kraken | +113 | +115 | +115 |
| Minnesota Wild | -125 | -135 | -135 |
Seattle Kraken breakdown
Seattle ended February with a win following a three-game losing skid. The team then won its four games before once again losing three straight. Since ending that losing skid on March 16, the Kraken have alternated wins and losses. If the team hopes to make the playoffs and have some success in the postseason, they are going to need to play with more consistency during the final stretch of the 2023 NHL season.
Vince Dunn leads the Kraken with 60 points this season. He has 13 goals and 47 assists. The team’s highest goal-scorer is Jared McCann, with 35 goals. Outside of McCann, the only player on the team with 20 or more goals is Matty Beniers with 20 goals. Despite the team’s lack of high-scoring players, Seattle has a goal differential on the season of plus-22.
Seattle has a capable goaltending duo in Martin Jones and Philipp Grubauer.
Minnesota Wild breakdown
Of the top teams in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Wild have one of the smallest goal differentials, and the lowest goals scored total. The Wild have 219 goals on the season and allowed 198. The other teams in the Central Division race, the Avalanche and Stars are plus-40 and plus-47, dwarfing the plus-21 of the Wild.
Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild in scoring with 74 points. His 39 goals are also tops on the club, and while those numbers are good, it has to be noted that Kaprizov has not played since March 8, and there is no indication that he will return from the lower body injury that knocked him out of the lineup any time soon. As a plus, three other players on the Wild have more than 20 goals this year: Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello.
Goaltending has been a bright spot for the Wild. Filip Gustavsson is second in the NHL in goals against average at 2.01. He also has the second-best save percentage in the league at .932. His partner, Marc-Andre Fleury has a 2.85 GAA and a SV % of .907.
Best bet for Seattle Kraken vs. Minnesota Wild
Thanks to their stellar road record, there is some value in betting on the Seattle Kraken to win, but the team’s inconsistency and the Minnesota Wild‘s better goaltending lead me to say that the best bet for this game is to pick the Minnesota Wild to win.
Pick: Minnesota Wild to beat Seattle Kraken.
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