{"id":480315,"date":"2025-12-20T08:49:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T13:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=480315"},"modified":"2025-12-20T08:49:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T13:49:07","slug":"nhl-predictions-dec-20-edmonton-oilers-vs-minnesota-wild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/20\/nhl-predictions-dec-20-edmonton-oilers-vs-minnesota-wild\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Dec 20 Edmonton Oilers vs Minnesota Wild"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at\u00a0<em>Last Word on Hockey<\/em> look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the Edmonton Oilers taking on the Minnesota Wild. Don\u2019t forget to check out more <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/nhl-predictions\/\" target=\"_self\">NHL Predictions<\/a>, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n<h2>NHL Predictions<\/h2>\n<h3>Detroit Red Wings vs Washington Capitals<\/h3>\n<p><a id=\"13Su0b9WSAFrCIMS6SJnbQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2205784747\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'13Su0b9WSAFrCIMS6SJnbQ',sig:'Ft6B7PWvvis28ztql8mo7ip06I302u3ArhdkpKluXlo=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2205784747',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>2024-25 Season Series: Red Wings 1-2 Capitals<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/full-guide-for-how-to-stream-and-watch-nhl-hockey-games\/\" target=\"_self\">How to Watch<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><strong>US TV:<\/strong> Monumental Sports Network; Fan Duel Sports Detroit; NHL Network<\/p>\n<p><strong>Canada TV:<\/strong> Sportsnet<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong> 12:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n<p>We open up NHL predictions with the opening game of a home-and-home set between the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/17\/nhl-predictions-utah-mammoth-vs-detroit-red-wings\/\" target=\"_self\">Detroit Red Wings<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/16\/nhl-predictions-dec-16-washington-capitals-vs-minnesota-wild\/\" target=\"_self\">Washington Capitals.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=gibsojo02,gibsojo01&amp;search=John+Gibson&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Gibson<\/a> is the confirmed starter for Detroit, which is 6-2-2 in the last 10 games. However, the team is coming off a loss to the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/08\/utah-mammoth-young-centre-out-indefinitely-due-to-injury\/\" target=\"_self\"> Utah Mammoth<\/a> last time out. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/debrial01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex DeBrincat<\/a> leads the club in goals (20) and points (19) so far this season.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/thomplo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Logan Thompson<\/a> is the expected starter for Washington but always check social media before locking in a daily fantasy starter. The Capitals are also 6-2-2 in their previous 10 games, including a victory over the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/18\/maple-leafs-look-to-build-momentum-as-road-trip-opens-in-washington\/\" target=\"_self\">Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/w\/wilsoto01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tom Wilson<\/a> is first on the team in goals (17) and points (33) so far this campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Detroit is currently in first place in the Atlantic Division, but Washington is 11-5-2 at home.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Capitals win 4-3.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>Edmonton Oilers vs Minnesota Wild<\/h3>\n<h3>Head-to-Head: Oilers 0-1 Wild<\/h3>\n<p>How to Watch:<\/p>\n<p><strong>US TV:<\/strong>\u00a0 Fan Duel Sports North; Fan Duel Sports Wisconsin; ESPN+<\/p>\n<p><strong>Canada TV:<\/strong> Sportsnet<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong> 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n<p>Our second and featured game of NHL predictions has the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/18\/nhl-predictions-dec-18-edmonton-oilers-vs-boston-bruins\/\" target=\"_self\">Edmonton Oilers<\/a> visiting the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/12\/blockbuster-trade-out-of-vancouver-and-minnesota\/\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota Wild<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/pickaca01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Calvin Pickard<\/a> is the likely starter with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/j\/jarrytr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tristan Jarry<\/a> injured. The Oilers are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, including wins in four of their last five. However, not having Jarry in goal could be a problem. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcdavco01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connor McDavid<\/a> is off to another great start with 21 goals and 37 assists for 58 points.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/g\/gustafi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Filip Gustavsson<\/a> is the confirmed starter for Minnesota, which has taken its last six games in a row. The Wild are also 7-2-1 in their previous 10 games entering this matchup. Minnesota is a strong 12-3-4 at the Grand Casino Arena. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/boldyma01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Boldy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/kapriki01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kirill Kaprizov<\/a> are tied for the team&#8217;s lead in point with 41, but Kaprizov leads the club in goals with 22.<\/p>\n<p>This should be a good game, but the Oilers uncertainty in goal should five the Wild the edge.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Wild win 4-2.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"zjvSXrceSCV2EJLleD1Zfg\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2199127470\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'zjvSXrceSCV2EJLleD1Zfg',sig:'rh0pPu_9C1d1892ATsXor3hBr5XGMuHVWjNb7Adk23I=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2199127470',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>St Louis Blues vs Florida Panthers<\/h3>\n<h3>2024-25 Season Series: Blues 0-2 Panthers<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/full-guide-for-how-to-stream-and-watch-nhl-hockey-games\/\" target=\"_self\">How to Watch<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><strong>US TV:<\/strong>\u00a0 Fan Duel Sports Midwest; Scripps Florida; ESPN+<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong> 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.thescore.com\/nhl\/events\/31669\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Our final game<\/a> of NHL predictions has the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/17\/nhl-predictions-dec-17-winnipeg-jets-vs-st-louis-blues\/\" target=\"_self\">St Louis Blues<\/a> meeting the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/19\/nhl-predictions-dec-19-carolina-hurricanes-vs-florida-panthers\/\" target=\"_self\"> Florida Panthers<\/a> for the first time this season. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/hoferjo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joel Hofer<\/a> is the expected starter for the Blues, who are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/thomaro01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Robert Thomas<\/a> leads the team in assists (17) and points (24) for the Blues.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=tarasda02,tarasda01&amp;search=Daniil+Tarasov&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daniil Tarasov<\/a> is the probable starter for the Panthers, who are 7-2-1 in their previous 10 games. This recent run includes a four-game winning streak for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/marchbr03.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brad Marchand<\/a> has turned back the clock to keep the champs going while some of their big guns out of the lineup. Marchand is first in goals (20), assists (19), and points (39) so far this season.<\/p>\n<p>The Panthers have seemingly found their rhythm after some early season struggles.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Panthers win 5-2.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Prop Bets of the Night<\/h3>\n<p>We close out NHL predictions with some prop bets of the night. Let&#8217;s go back to our featured game for our favourite props. The over\/under for the Oilers and Wild is 6.5, and we like the under in this game.<\/p>\n<p>As for individual props, go with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/draisle01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Leon Draisaitl<\/a> to get a power-play goal for Edmonton. On the Minnesota side of things, take <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/hughequ01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-12-20_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Quinn Hughes<\/a> to get a multiple-point night.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main photo by: Perry Nelson-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<div class=\"yobo-arena-widgets-wrapper mt-8\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"Arena Widgets\">\n<div class=\"arena-comments-widget\" role=\"region\" data-site-slug=\"lwos\" data-enable-ads=\"true\" aria-label=\"Comments\" data-initialized=\"true\">\n<div class=\"ar82zL-ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ar82zL-ad-content\">\n<div id=\"arena-cs-revshare-slot-header\" data-google-query-id=\"CIeat5emzJEDFYu90QQdYGkNTg\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at\u00a0Last Word on Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the Edmonton Oilers taking on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2352,"featured_media":458331,"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":[4524,23,4547,30,4548],"tags":[6201,6017,6255,6012,6061,6239],"class_list":["post-480315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhl-predictions","category-oilers","category-hockey","category-wild","category-nhl","tag-detroit-red-wings-predictions","tag-edmonton-oilers-predictions","tag-florida-panthers-predictions","tag-minnesota-wild-predictions","tag-st-louis-blues-predictions","tag-washington-capitals-predictions"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480315","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\/2352"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480315"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":480388,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480315\/revisions\/480388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}