{"id":460222,"date":"2025-01-07T09:09:50","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T14:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=460222"},"modified":"2025-01-07T09:09:50","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T14:09:50","slug":"nhl-predictions-january-7th-st-louis-blues-vs-minnesota-wild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/01\/07\/nhl-predictions-january-7th-st-louis-blues-vs-minnesota-wild\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: January 7th St. Louis Blues Vs. Minnesota Wild"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Welcome to another installment of NHL Predictions! Today, the NHL calendar has ten games. We are excited to take you around the league and give our predictions as to who will be victorious. Our prediction today looks at a Central Division showdown between the <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?s=st.+louis+blues\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">St. Louis Blues<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> and the <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?s=minnesota+wild\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Minnesota Wild<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">NHL Predictions<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3>St Louis Blues vs Minnesota Wild<\/h3>\n<h4>Head-to-Head: Blues 0-2 Wild<\/h4>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Time:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">TV:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, FanDuel Sports Network North; Fan Duel Sports Wisconsin; ESPN+<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Wild lead the season series, 2-0. Furthermore, both wins, one in October and the other in <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/11\/19\/nhl-predictions-november-19th-with-st-louis-blues-vs-minnesota-wild\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">November<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, came in St. Louis. The final two meetings of the season series will occur on home ice for the Wild.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Blues Story<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Blues are coming off a <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/01\/04\/nhl-predictions-january-4th-st-louis-blues-vs-columbus-blue-jackets\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">high-scoring loss<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> on Saturday night. High-scoring games have been a constant in previous games for the\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Blue Note<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Their last six games have seen the Blues and\/or their opponent score at least four goals. Five of those six games have seen the Blues score four or more, while only three have seen their opponent score four or more. The offence has certainly been clicking. While the goaltending has been a little shaky going back to the start of December, there are indications that both of the team&#8217;s goalies are getting back on track. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/binnijo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jordan Binnington<\/a> <a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/01\/03\/nhl-predictions-january-3-st-louis-blues-vs-ottawa-senators\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">picked up a shutout<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> in his last game. Furthermore, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/hoferjo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joel Hofer<\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, despite a rough start on Saturday, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/12\/24\/st-louis-blues-may-have-to-consider-the-uncomfortable-goalie-question\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">played well in December<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">After Tuesday&#8217;s game, the Blues will return home for four games. The Blues will look to end their brief road trip on a high note before returning to the comforts of the Enterprise Center.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Wild Story<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Wild have continued to be a top team in the Central Division. They picked up a shutout on the road in their <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/01\/04\/nhl-predictions-jan-4-minnesota-wild-vs-carolina-hurricanes\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">last game<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. The game before that saw the Wild rally to win in a shootout. The game ended excitingly when goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/o\/ovechal01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Ovechkin<\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> in the shootout to <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhl.com\/video\/wild-beat-capitals-in-shootout-6366638386112\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">clinch the win<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What makes this recent string of wins impressive is that the Wild are dealing with <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/01\/01\/minnesota-stars-injured\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">significant injuries<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Star forward <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/kapriki01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kirill Kaprizov<\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> and team captain <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/spurgja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jared Spurgeon<\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> are missing time due to their respective injuries. The Wild have been able to overcome the injuries and play winning hockey. It will be interesting to see if they can keep it up. Furthermore, it will be interesting to see if general manager <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/g\/gueribi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bill Guerin<\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> makes any moves to bring in outside help. There is still plenty of time before the NHL Trade Deadline (March 8), so Guerin is not against the clock when it comes to exploring options.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Prediction<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> is a tough one. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Wild are dealing with injuries<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. On the other hand,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> the Blues goaltending has been inconsistent at times. Both teams are capable of putting the puck in the net and have done so <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">as of late<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> We <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">are going to<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> predict a high-scoring game with the Blues picking up the two points. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> also could be a game that requires overtime or a shootout.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Prediction: Blues win, 5-4, possibly in overtime or a shootout.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Prop Bets of the Night<br \/>\n<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The over\/under for the game <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">is set<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> at 5.5 goals. We are taking over this with nine combined goals. If you are unsure about taking the over, take a look at this. The last three Wild games have seen 19 combined goals. The last three Blues games have seen a combined 22 goals. Both teams have seen some goals as of late.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">For prop bets, we are taking <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/thomaro01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Robert Thomas<\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> as an anytime-scorer for the Blues. We think he could have more than just one goal. For the Wild, we are taking <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/boldyma01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Boldy<\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> as an anytime-scorer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Main photo by: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions, some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to another installment of NHL Predictions! Today, the NHL calendar has ten games. We are excited to take you around the league and give our predictions as to who will be victorious. Our prediction today looks at a Central Division showdown between the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild. NHL Predictions St Louis [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3464,"featured_media":460266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4524,4547,30,4548,32],"tags":[3759,2393,6012,6061],"class_list":["post-460222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhl-predictions","category-hockey","category-wild","category-nhl","category-blues","tag-jordan-binnington","tag-kirill-kaprizov","tag-minnesota-wild-predictions","tag-st-louis-blues-predictions"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3464"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=460222"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":460267,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460222\/revisions\/460267"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/460266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=460222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=460222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=460222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}