NHL Hockey Betting: Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks
We’ll take a look ahead to Thursday’s action with two second round series getting underway. The late game on the card is a Western Conference battle between the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks made it to this point by eliminating the Nashville Predators in six games while the Wild shocked the Central Division champion St. Louis Blues in six games.
The Minnesota Wild are a downright dangerous team at this point. They’re also an amazing sports story–in fact, the resurrection of Devan Dubnyk may be the best sports story of the year. Dubnyk looked to be on his way out of the NHL. Edmonton had given up on him, he’d bounced around to several other teams and spend some time in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals and the Hamilton Bulldogs. His career had reached the point where the Montreal Canadiens acquired him for ‘future considerations’ which is a nice way of saying that they got him for nothing.
Dubnyk was back in the NHL at the start of the 2014-2015 season, backing up Mike Smith with the Arizona Coyotes. On one hand, he was back at the highest level of hockey. On the other hand, he was perceived as not being good enough to start for one of the worst teams in hockey. That was the setup for one of the most improbable career turnarounds in sports history. In mid-January, Dubnyk was acquired by the Minnesota Wild who at the time were 8 points out of the final playoff spot in the West. What has happened since then is mind-boggling. Dubnyk started 38 straight games for the Wild with a record of 27-9-2 and a 1.75 goals against average. The Wild made the playoffs and Dubnyk was named as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy.
The Blackhawks looked shaky at various points in the Nashville series but with the Preds nowhere near their mid season form they were able to advance. That won’t happen with the hottest team in the NHL. The Wild win Game One and shock the Blackhawks by winning the series.
BET MINNESOTA WILD +130 OVER CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (GAME ONE)
BET MINNESOTA WILD +130 OVER CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (SERIES)
