The 2021-22 NHL season continues with a loaded 12-game Thursday card, so we are taking a closer look at the Central Division showdown from American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, to get you the best Wild vs. Stars betting pick and odds. 

According to Bookmaker Sportsbook, the Wild are small -118 moneyline favorites, while the Stars are +107 home dogs with a total of 6.0 goals. Minnesota and Dallas close down their four-game regular-season series, and the Stars aim for their third consecutive victory over the Wild. 

The Wild shoot for their third straight W                  

The Minnesota Wild (45-21-6) are coming off an impressive 5-1 home victory over the Edmonton Oilers. It was their second straight win and 11th in their previous 14 outings at any location, while wingers Kevin Fiala and Ryan Hartman accounted for a couple of goals apiece.

Minnesota needed only 23 goals to score five goals, while Cam Talbot posted 27 saves. Talbot is now 29-12-3 on the season. He owns a 2.77 GAA and .912 save percentage. The Wild haven’t announced who’ll guard the cage against the Stars, and we’re expecting Marc-Andre Fleury to get the starting call.

Fleury has gone 4-1 with a 2.44 GAA and .926 save percentage since joining Minnesota via trade from Chicago. The 37-year-old goalie patrolled the crease in the Blackhawks’ 1-0 shootout defeat to the Dallas Stars in February. Fleury is 11-5-1 with a sparkly 1.99 GAA and .931 save percentage in 17 games against the Stars throughout his career.

The Stars are fighting for the playoffs         

The Dallas Stars (42-27-4) improved to 88 points on the season following a 1-0 home win to the Tampa Bat Lightning this past Tuesday. They upset the reigning champions as +140 underdogs, and winger Roope Hintz scored the winning goal with 4:50 left on the clock in the third period to improve his season tally to 62 points (32 goals and 30 assists).

The Stars outshot the Bolts 29-25, while Scott Wedgewood recorded his first shutout of the season. The 29-year-old netminder is now 13-14-4 with a 3.10 GAA and .910 save percentage in 2021-22. Jake Oettinger is projected to patrol the crease Thursday against the Wild, and the 23-year-old rising star has gone 26-13-1 with a 2.53 GAA and .914 SV% so far this term.

Dallas is tied with Los Angeles for the No. 7 seed in the West. They are only three points ahead of the ninth-seeded Vegas Golden Knights. Only three of the Stars’ final nine games will come on the road.

Trends:

Minnesota:

  • 4-7 in the last 11 games against Dallas

Dallas:

  • 9-4 in the last 13 games overall 

Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars Pick

Minnesota is tied with St. Louis for the third spot in the West, so both teams have a lot to play for in this one. The previous three encounters between the Wild and Stars have produced a ton of goals, and I would stick with the totals. Thursday’s game could easily go either way.

Dallas just defeated the two-time reigning champs. The Stars trounced the Wild in their last two duels, 7-4 in a pick ‘em contest at home and 6-3 as +130 road dogs. Dallas is 9-4 in its previous 13 outings, while Minnesota is 11-3 in its last 14 games overall.

Pick: Take Dallas Stars at +107             

The Total:

On paper, the Wild are a better offensive team than the Stars, who score 2.89 goals per game. Minnesota tallies 3.65 goals a night, enough for the fourth-most in the NHL. The Wild rank 17th in goals against (3.04), while Dallas is 15th (2.95).

The Wild have allowed the fifth-most power-play opportunities and the third-most power-play goals in the NHL. Their last five games have produced six or more goals in total. The over is 5-1-1 in Minnesota’s last seven games against the Stars.

Pick: Go over 6.0 goals at -113