Stars vs Wild Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for NHL Playoffs Game 3 (Minnesota Takes Series Lead)

The 2022-23 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs continue on Friday, April 21, including Game 3 of the thrilling Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild series on the Western Conference side.

Stars vs Wild Game 3 Info

• Series: Tied 1-1
• Date: Friday, April 21, 2023
• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
• Venue: Xcel Energy Center -- St. Paul, MN
• Coverage: ESPN2

Minnesota allowed a franchise-postseason-record 7 goals in Game 2 while Dallas rode a hat trick by Roope Hintz to even the series with a 7-3 win.

The series heads back to St. Paul for Game 3 on Friday night. The Wild are expected to get Filip Gustavsson back in net after the Stars ripped 7 goals past Marc-Andre Fleury, including 3 power-play goals and 1 short-handed goal.

Stars vs Wild Odds & Spread

• All NHL betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: MIN: (-114) | DAL: (-105)
• Spread: MIN: -1.5 (+215) | DAL: +1.5 (-265)
• Total: 5.5 -- Over: (-105) | Under: (-115)

The Wild enter this contest as home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 9:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 5.5 goals with the under being favored at -115 odds.

Stars vs Wild Betting Trends

• Minnesota is 9-4 straight up in its last 13 home games.
• Dallas is 9-2 straight up in its last 11 games against the Central Division.
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 7 games against an opponent in the Western Conference
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games against Dallas.

Stars vs Wild vs Prediction & Pick

Dallas came back strong in Game 2 and buried 7 goals on 31 shots against Fleury. Now Filip Gustavsson returns to the crease for Minnesota after racking up 51 saves in Game 1.

The Wild need to straighten out their penalty kill. One year after giving up 8 goals on 26 power-play tries against the St. Louis Blues during last spring’s first-round exit, Minnesota has allowed 5 goals on 11 chances through two games this series.

Monday’s overtime hero Ryan Hartman missed Game 2 with a lower-body injury. Check his status, but expect the Wild to rebound at home.

Final Score Prediction: Wild: 4 | Stars: 2

Wild vs Stars Best Bet

The Stars could struggle on the road in this Game 3 clash. A closer look shows that Dallas was 5-17 against top-10 teams this year and 16-21 against top-16 teams.

Minnesota’s 40-goal scorer Kirill Kaprizov had a bad night in Game 2 and gave pucks away while being ineffective again. That may well change in Game 3, but regardless, our money is on the Wild. Minnesota went 25-12-0-4 at home this season and will play with a greater purpose to retake the series lead.

Bet: Wild Moneyline (-114) and go for more with a Wild Win in Regulation (+135)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.