The New York Rangers find themselves in desperate playoff territory as they host the Minnesota Wild at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night, with both squads looking to build momentum after mixed recent performances.
The Rangers' offensive awakening—netting 19 goals in their last five games—could prove decisive against a Wild team struggling without star Kirill Kaprizov and managing just nine goals during their recent five-game stretch.
With New York tied in points with Montreal for the final wildcard position and Minnesota holding a six-point cushion in their own wildcard spot, this matchup between Rangers vs Wild carries significant playoff implications for both benches.
New York Rangers vs. Minnesota Wild prediction: who will win?
For tonight's New York Rangers vs Minnesota Wild matchup, our predictive model gives the Wild a 55% chance of defeating the Rangers.
Minnesota Wild: 55% win probability
- Better overall record (41 wins to Rangers' 35 wins)
- Stronger defensive performance (214 goals against vs Rangers' 222)
- Higher position in standings (8th in West vs 10th in East)
New York Rangers: 45% win probability
- Poor recent form (WLLWL over last five games)
- Inconsistent home performance (only 35 wins in 74 games)
- Defensive struggles (222 goals against showing vulnerability)
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.
New York Rangers vs. Minnesota Wild odds
Here are the latest odds for the NHL matchup between the Minnesota Wild and the host New York Rangers on Wednesday, April 02, at Madison Square Garden.
| New York Rangers | Minnesota Wild | |
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | -160 (via bet365 US) | +136 (via DraftKings Sportsbook) |
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New York Rangers vs. Minnesota Wild preview
The Minnesota Wild roll into Madison Square Garden Wednesday night clinging to a wild card spot as they face a desperate Rangers squad fighting for their playoff lives.
Igor Shesterkin hasn't been his usual dominant self this season, sporting a pedestrian 2.84 GAA, but he'll need to channel his Vezina form against a Wild team struggling without injured star Kirill Kaprizov.
The Rangers' offense finally clicked in their 6-1 drubbing of the Sharks, with Artemi Panarin continuing his scorching March where he racked up 20 points.
Minnesota's Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson have formed a solid tandem in net, but their offense has gone cold, managing just nine goals in their last five games.
The blue line battle could prove decisive, with Minnesota's veterans Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin trying to contain New York's offensive weapons.
Marco Rossi needs to step up for the Wild in Kaprizov's absence – the 23-year-old center has been quiet lately with just five points last month.
These teams played a tight 3-2 contest earlier this season with Minnesota grabbing the win, but the Rangers have the edge playing at home where they've been stingy defensively.
With both teams desperately needing points but struggling to find the back of the net consistently, expect a low-scoring, playoff-atmosphere showdown at the Garden.
Key stats
- 1The Wild are 8th in the Western Conference with 88 points after 75 games while the Rangers sit 10th in the Eastern Conference with 77 points after 74 games
- 2Minnesota has a negative goal differential (-10) compared to New York's slightly better goal difference (+2)
- 3The Wild are currently struggling with a LLWLL recent form while the Rangers have shown similar inconsistency with a WLLWL record
- 4The Rangers have scored 224 goals this season (3.03 goals per game) which is slightly higher than Minnesota's 204 goals (2.72 goals per game)
New York Rangers vs. Minnesota Wild form
New York Rangers vs. Minnesota Wild head to head
New York Rangers
67%
Minnesota Wild
33%
Mar 14, 2025
Minnesota Wild
2 : 3
New York Rangers
Nov 10, 2023
New York Rangers
4 : 1
Minnesota Wild
Nov 5, 2023
Minnesota Wild
5 : 4
New York Rangers
Jan 11, 2023
New York Rangers
4 : 3
Minnesota Wild
Oct 14, 2022
Minnesota Wild
3 : 7
New York Rangers
Mar 9, 2022
Minnesota Wild
5 : 2
New York Rangers
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