Wild vs. Capitals: Minnesota has been a beast against the East this year
By Tim Johnson
Capitals -1.5. 98. ESPN+. Sunday, april 3 . 37-21-10. 19. 42-20-5. 6 p.m. CST
The Minnesota Wild have earned a point in nine-straight games and can tie a season-high against Washington on Sunday night.
Minnesota, coming off a 3-1 victory over Carolina on Saturday, looks to beat the Capitals for the second times this year and look to continue what has been a dominant regular season run against Eastern Conference opponents.
Minnesota has posted a 21-5-4 mark against the East this year, and with Saturday’s win over the Hurricanes, the Wild improved to 13-0-2 against the Metropolitan Division. The Wild’s 21 victories and 46 points against the East are both franchise records.
The Wild have one last scheduled game against an Eastern team after Sunday, an April 19 contest in Montreal. Minnesota beat the Canadiens 8-2 on Jan. 24 in St. Paul.
"Obviously more than just chemistry on the ice"
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 3, 2022
Dean with nothing but praise for Kirill, Zuccy and the whole team. #mnwild pic.twitter.com/wTioxDF2Yr
“Tough building, great team,” Wild coach Dean Evason said of the Hurricanes in a media availability session Saturday night. “We did a lot of really good things in this hockey game to reinforce not only how we need to play on the road but how we need to play in general.
The Wild, who are playing the second in a four-game road trip, are 8-0-1 in their last nine games and are tied with Calgary for the second-most points in the Western Conference with 89.
Goalie Cam Talbot is expected to get the start on Sunday as Minnesota looks to complete a sweep of the weekend back-to-back contests. The Wild have swept four of their previous 10 back-to-back sets this season, the latest coming in March 26 and 27 wins over Columbus and Colorado, respectively.
Talbot is 12-4-1 in his last 17 starts and ranks 10th in the NHL with 27 wins this season.
The Capitals are in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division and have not played since a 6-1 loss to Carolina on Monday.
Betting odds
WynnBET has Washington favored by 1.5 goals at home. The Capitals also are the slight favorite on the moneyline at -125 Minnesota is the underdog for the second straight game +105 and the over/under for the matchup is listed at six total goals.
Upcoming Wild schedule
Tuesday, April 5: @Nashville, 7 p,m. CST
Friday, April 8: @St. Louis, , 7 p.m. CST
Sunday, April 10: Los Angeles, 7 p.m. CST