Rogers Place hosts Tuesday’s NHL matchup between the Minnesota Wild and Edmonton Oilers, with puck drop scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on Oct. 20. Our Wild vs. Oilers prediction is a modest lean toward Edmonton on the moneyline.
Minnesota won the last meeting 7–3 in Edmonton on Jan. 31, so the visitors have a recent reminder of what they can do in this building. Both clubs also arrive with four wins in their last five games.
Check the latest NHL odds at the best NHL betting sites before locking in any wagers.
Our Wild vs. Oilers Prediction
Edmonton Oilers moneyline
Edmonton has won six of its seven completed October regular-season games, including a 6–2 road victory over Utah on Oct. 17. That scoring response and a return to Rogers Place give us enough reason to side with the Oilers, but not enough to make this a high-confidence play. Edmonton went 1–1 in its two home games during that stretch.
The Wild are the strongest argument against the wager. Minnesota has six wins in nine completed October regular-season games. We’re backing the hosts to carry their attacking form into this one, not expecting Minnesota to roll over based on a short early-season run.
Wild vs. Oilers Game Odds
| Market | Odds |
|---|---|
| Wild moneyline odds | +115 |
| Oilers moneyline odds | -135 |
| Puck line odds | Oilers -1.5 (+175), Wild +1.5 (-215) |
| Game total | Over 6.5 goals (+105), Under 6.5 (-125) |
Probable starting goaltenders
Minnesota: Jesper Wallstedt (6-2, 1.99 GAA, .921 SV%)
Edmonton: Tristan Jarry (2-1, 2.97 GAA, .873 SV%)
Betting the Wild (6-3 SU, 6-3 ATS, 2-7 o/u)
Minnesota beat Columbus 2–1 at home on Oct. 18 and allowed just 14 shots, tied for the second-fewest the Wild have conceded in a game in franchise history. That’s a sharp defensive performance, even if one night doesn’t establish how well they’ll contain Edmonton.
Olli Määttä and Jared Spurgeon missed the Columbus game, while Brock Faber had been absent all season. Daemon Hunt, David Špaček and Matt Kiersted were playing vital blue-line minutes amid those absences. Määttä and Spurgeon were scheduled to travel to Canada on Oct. 19, but that did not confirm that either would play against the Oilers.
John Hynes has liked the simplicity of Hunt and Špaček’s work. After the St. Louis win, the Minnesota coach praised their hard defending and efficient puck movement in comments: “They were able to stop plays and break pucks out,” he said, adding that “they didn’t panic with the puck” and “they didn’t force things.”
Kiersted described a similar approach: “There’s an opportunity for me to come into the lineup, and just want to help the team in any way I can… play simple kind of and lighten the burden a little bit.” Clean exits and uncomplicated decisions would help Minnesota keep Edmonton’s forecheck from turning those replacement minutes into a problem.
Betting the Oilers (6-2 SU, 6-2 ATS, 4-4 o/u)
The win in Utah came after Edmonton lost 4–2 at home to the Mammoth on Oct. 15. The turnaround was encouraging, but that home defeat is a useful warning against treating Rogers Place as an automatic edge.
Vasily Podkolzin had seven goals in eight Oilers games while playing alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Mike Babcock called Podkolzin “a dominant two-way player,” and McDavid explained why his contribution goes beyond finishing chances.
“He’s a big part of the success of the line. Goes to the net hard, fore-checks hard,” McDavid said. “We have to remind him sometimes that he doesn’t always have to be F1. It’s OK to be F2.”
Those net drives and forechecking contributions give Edmonton another way to test Minnesota’s defence without asking McDavid and Draisaitl to do all the work. Babcock, though, was impressed by the Wild’s performance against Columbus: “I thought they played real well yesterday.” His assessment fits the assignment: Edmonton is facing a team playing well, not an opponent whose blue-line absences have stopped it from winning.
Wild vs. Oilers Player Prop Trends
- Kirill Kaprizov takes an eight-game points streak into action Tuesday. He’s -250 to record over 0.5 points and has scored in three straight contests.
- Evan Bouchard has collected at least one point in five straight games and is -210 to extend that streak.
- Leon Draisaitl has scored in three straight games and is +130 to extend that run.
