Minnesota Wild vs San Jose Sharks: Wild fire with 3.8 goals per game — our tips

The numbers jump off the page in this Western Conference clash on Saturday, 7 November at 12:00 pm AEDT. The Minnesota Wild are flying high in second spot on the NHL ladder with an 11-3-3 record, while the San Jose Sharks sit 24th with a 7-8-1 mark. Minnesota have been pouring on the offence lately, averaging 3.8 goals scored per game across their last five overall outings while allowing just 2.0 goals against.

Contrast that with San Jose, who have dropped four straight games and scored just 1.6 goals per game over their past five starts overall. If you are hunting for quality nhl picks, this matchup presents a glaring stat split between two teams heading in opposite directions.

Who Will Win? Wild's Offence Set to Dominate

The Minnesota Wild come into this contest sitting second in the league with 25 points, backed by an impressive 3.29 goals per game average on the season while conceding just 2.24 per game. They are coming off a strong 4–2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers away from home on Wednesday, 4 November, marking four wins in their last five starts overall. Their dominant play is led by Kirill Kaprizov with 15 goals and 11 assists, supported by Quinn Hughes with 5 goals and 17 assists, and Matt Boldy with 7 goals and 9 assists. With a power play operating at 25.42% and a team save percentage of 0.911, the Wild have control across every key metric.

San Jose, on the other hand, enter this fixture struggling for momentum. The Sharks are coming off a heavy 7–2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, 5 November, extending their current slump to four consecutive defeats. Across their last five overall games, San Jose have averaged only 1.6 goals for and surrendered 3.6 goals against. While Macklin Celebrini leads their attack with 5 goals and 11 assists alongside Will Smith's 6 goals and 4 assists, their overall possession metrics lag behind with a 46.3% Corsi rating and a season goals against average of 3.31 per game.

On the head-to-head board, Minnesota Wild are priced as 1.50 favourites, while the San Jose Sharks sit at 2.45. Considering Minnesota's 2.5-goal average win margin across their last five overall outings compared to San Jose's 2.8 average loss margin, backing Minnesota rates a real chance.