Minnesota Wild vs. Oilers: Which No. 97 is No. 1 in the NHL?
By Tim Johnson
44-21-6. Wild -1.5. 42-25-6. Tuesday, April 12. 98. 7 p.m. CST. 148. Bally Sports North
When it comes to alternative county music, its hard to argue against the production and quality of Rhett Miller and the Old 97’s. The group has produced about 20 albums since 1994 and put on a great live show if you have ever had the opportunity to see them in concert or plan to.
When it comes to the NHL, there can be an argument on who is better player that sports No. 97: Edmonton’s Connor McDavid or Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov. Both players will be on the ice on Tuesday night as the Wild host the Oilers at the Xcel Energy Center.
Both players are 25 years old and have been a major reason why their respective teams are in solid NHL playoff contenders this season.
McDavid, who was selected first overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, enters Tuesday with 42 goals and a league-leading 108 points this season. Kaprizov, who was selected 143rd overall in 2015, has 42 goals and 89 points, ranking seventh in the league in the latter category in just his second NHL season.
The Wild have had the upper-hand against the Oilers this year overall heading into the third regular-season matchup between the teams. Minnesota won the previous matchups by a combined score of 11-4.
Mats Zuccarello has four points in the two games to lead Wild players against the Oilers. Joel Eriksson Ek and Kevin Fiala both have three points.
Minnesota is 25-6-1 in its last 32 games against Edmonton at the Xcel Energy Center.
There are two streaks on the line on Tuesday. Minnesota, which sits in second place in the Central Division, is riding a nine-game point streak at home (8-0-1). Minnesota kept that streak alive with a comeback win over Los Angeles on Sunday in which the Kings jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes.
The Oilers have a seven-game point streak overall (6-0-1) and enter the matchup in second place in the Pacific Division, seven points behind Calgary.
Betting odds
WynnBET has Minnesota favored by 1.5 goals in the last of a quick two-game homestand.. Minnesota also is favored on the moneyline at -140 Edmonton is the underdog at +120 and the over/under for the matchup is listed at 6.5 goals.
Upcoming Wild schedule
Thursday, April 14: @Dallas, 7 p.m. CST
Saturday, April 16: @St. Louis, 2 p.m. CST
Sunday, April 17: San Jose, 5 p.m.