The Minnesota Wild (34-20-4) head to the Delta Center on Thursday night to face the emerging Utah Hockey Club (26-24-9) in what promises to be an intriguing Western Conference matchup.
Minnesota enters the contest looking to bounce back from a tough 3-2 defeat against the Red Wings, while Utah carries momentum from their recent 2-1 victory over the Blackhawks.
The Wild's offensive output of 167 goals this season ranks 20th in hockey, though their impressive .621 points percentage suggests they're finding ways to win despite scoring challenges.
Utah's special teams could be a deciding factor, with their power play converting at an impressive 22.75% rate, ranking 9th in the NHL.
Filip Gustavsson's presence in net for Minnesota, sporting a career .912 save percentage, sets up an interesting goaltending battle against Utah's Karel Vejmelka.
With both teams fighting for crucial points in the Western Conference standings, this matchup at the Delta Center has all the ingredients for a classic hockey showdown.
The following analysis breaks down the key factors that could determine which team emerges victorious in this compelling Utah-Minnesota clash.
Utah vs. Minnesota Wild prediction: who will win?
For tonight's Utah vs Minnesota Wild matchup, our predictive model gives Utah a 57.5% chance of defeating the Wild.
Pre-game probabilities
Utah
Moneyline
Win %
57.5%
42.5%
Minnesota Wild
Utah: 57.5% win probability
- Strong home performance (61 points in 59 games played)
- Better recent form (WWLWL compared to Wild's LWWWL)
- More consistent scoring (165 goals for in 59 games, 2.80 goals per game)
Minnesota Wild: 42.5% win probability
- Defensive struggles (165 goals against in 58 games)
- Lower points percentage (72 points in 58 games vs Utah's pace)
- Road game disadvantage (Away team with 20 losses already)
At Sporting Post, our unique prediction model combines insights from top NHL experts. Instead of sifting through hundreds of expert analyses across the web, you can rely on our predictions to understand the market's overall sentiment. We scan trusted sources, analyzing predictions, data, and opinions, and our AI assigns a confidence level to each prediction. We then average these levels to produce an 'expert opinion' win probability—reflecting the collective intelligence of the industry's leading NHL experts..
| Utah | Minnesota Wild | |
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Utah vs. Minnesota Wild preview
The Utah Hockey Club is set to host the Minnesota Wild in what promises to be an intriguing matchup at the Delta Center this Thursday night.
The Wild (34-20-4) enter this contest looking to bounce back from a disappointing 3-2 loss to the Red Wings, while Utah (26-24-9) comes in with momentum following their tight 2-1 victory over the Blackhawks.
Minnesota's offensive output has been a concern lately, having managed just 167 goals this season (ranking 20th in the NHL), though their defensive record remains solid with 163 goals against.
Utah's special teams could be a decisive factor in this matchup, boasting an impressive 22.75% power play conversion rate (9th in the NHL), significantly better than Minnesota's 19.59%.
The goaltending battle will feature Filip Gustavsson for the Wild, who brings a solid .912 career save percentage and an impressive quality start rate of .596.
On the Utah side, Karel Vejmelka will guard the crease, though his .900 career save percentage suggests he might be tested by Minnesota's attack.
The betting odds slightly favor Minnesota (-128), but Utah's home-ice advantage and recent form make them an intriguing underdog at +106.
With Utah's stronger power play unit and Minnesota's struggles to find the back of the net, this game could well come down to special teams execution and goaltending performance.
Look for this to be a closely contested affair with both teams likely to emphasize defensive responsibility, making the over/under of 6.5 goals an interesting proposition for hockey fans.
Utah vs. Minnesota Wild form
Utah vs. Minnesota Wild head to head
Utah
33%
Minnesota Wild
17%
Jan 24, 2025
Minnesota Wild
0 : 4
Utah
Dec 21, 2024
Minnesota Wild
1 : 2
Utah
Dec 11, 2024
Utah
4 : 5
Minnesota Wild
