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The Minnesota Wild began the 2021-22 NHL season with a four-game winning streak and posted another in early November before really taking off with eight straight victories from Nov. 24-Dec. 9. They've had the wind taken out of their sails of late, however, going 0-3-1 in their last four contests to drop to second place in the Central Division. The Wild (19-9-2) attempt to regain the top spot when they host the first-place St. Louis Blues (18-9-5) in the 2022 NHL Winter Classic on Saturday.

Opening faceoff from Target Field in Minneapolis is set for 7 p.m. ET. Minnesota is the slight -115 favorite (risk $115 to win $100) in the latest Wild vs. Blues odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total goals scored is six. Before making any Blues vs. Wild picks, check out the NHL Winter Classic 2022 predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NHL game 10,000 times. It has crushed its top-rated NHL money-line picks this season, going 52-37, returning well over $700 on $100 bets. Anybody following it is way up.

Now, the model has set its sights on Wild vs. Blues. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the latest NHL odds from and trends for Blues vs. Wild: 

  • Wild vs. Blues money line: Wild -115, Blues -105
  • Wild vs. Blues puck line: Wild -1.5 (+200)
  • Wild vs. Blues over-under: 6 goals
  • MIN: The Wild have scored at least four goals in nine of their last 11 games
  • STL: The Blues have allowed fewer than three goals in five of their last seven contests

Why you should back the Wild

Minnesota is among the top scoring teams in the NHL with 112 goals and has seven players register 20 or more points. Leading the way is Russian left wing Kirill Kaprizov, who has notched 36 in 30 games and been kept off the scoresheet only three times in his last 15 contests. The 24-year-old is coming off a three-point performance (one goal, two assists) in the Wild's 7-4 loss at Dallas on Dec. 20, his ninth multi-point effort of the season.

The Wild are hoping his last outing was a sign of things to come for Ryan Hartman, who leads the team with 14 goals. The 27-year-old had gone six games without a tally after converting in six of his previous eight contests. Hartman is five goals away from matching the career high he set in 2016-17 with Chicago.

Why you should back the Blues

St. Louis also has been among the best at scoring, as it is right behind the Wild with 110 goals. Vladimir Tarasenko tops the club with 13 tallies and is riding a four-game streak during which he has scored five times. The 30-year-old Russian right wing appears to be returning to the form that saw him record 33 or more goals for five straight seasons from 2014-19.

Brandon Saad is second on the team with 12 goals after ending his six-game drought in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over Edmonton. The 29-year-old left wing has eclipsed the 20-goal mark five times, scoring a career-high 31 in 2015-16 for Columbus. Jordan Kyrou also tallied in the win against the Oilers, giving the Blues five players with double-digit goal totals.

How to make Blues vs. Wild picks

SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Wild vs. Blues? And which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Blues vs. Wild money line to jump on Saturday, all from the advanced model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times.