Colorado Avalanche vs Minnesota Wild: Lines, Picks, and Predictions | March 29, 2023 | NHL Regular Season

The Minnesota Wild have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL, winning 15 of their past 20 games. Thanks to its recent hot stretch, Minnesota finds itself at the top of the Western Conference's Central Division with only eight games remaining.

However, if the Wild want to finish the season with the division crown, it very well may be decided tonight against the Colorado Avalanche. The reigning Stanley Cup champion Avalanche currently sit one point behind the Wild for the top spot. If there was ever a showdown for divisional supremacy, tonight may be it.

"Who will win the Central Division? Two contenders, the Wild and Avalanche, play a national game tonight (10 p.m. ET; TNT; SN360, TVAS, SN NOW). Me and @BillPriceNHL debate between the #mnwild and #LetsGoAvs" - Jon Lane

The Avalanche, who will be entering the matchup with an incredible 9-1-0 record in their last 10 games, will present the Minnesota Wild with a true test prior to playoff action. So far this season, Colorado has won both matchups against Minnesota, so a victory tonight would be huge for the Wild moving forward.

Predictions for the game tonight between the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild

The Avalanche have won both games between the two teams this season, winning 6-3 at the beginning of the season on Oct. 17, and 3-2 on Feb. 15. According to Bet365, that trend may continue tonight as the Avalanche are the betting favorites to win with -155 odds, whereas the Wild are sitting at +135.

One of the major factors working against the Wild is the fact that Kirill Kaprizov is still out of the lineup. The talented superstar has been out of action since March 8, and while the team's record has not suffered, missing your best player is never ideal.

"@ the #mnwild haters saying we were going nowhere after the kaprizov injury" - Wild Takes

Potential lineups for each team

While the Minnesota Wild have been without Karpizov for several games, they have received an incredible stretch of form from 21-year-old forward Matt Boldy. Here is a closer look at the potential lineup for the Wild tonight.

Minnesota's Forwards

Left Wing	Center	Right Field
Marcus Foligno	Ryan Hartman	Mats Zuccarello
Marcus Johansson	Joel Eriksson Ek	Matt Boldy
Brandon Duhaime	Frederick Gaudreau	Oskar Sundqvist
Mason Shaw	Connor Dewar	Ryan Reaves

Minnesota's Defense

Jacob Middleton	Jared Spurgeon
Jonas Brodin	Matt Dumba
Jon Merrill	Alex Goligoski

"Matt Dumba killed a guy last night. #mnwild" - Minnesota Sports Fan

The Avalanche will likely keep their lineup the same as they have for most of the season, with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar leading the team yet again. The Minnesota Wild will need to slow down Colorado's potent lineup if they want to walk away with a victory.

Colorado's Forwards

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Valeri Nichushkin	Nathan MacKinnon	Mikko Rantanen
Alex Newhook	JT Compher	Evan Rodrigues
Denis Malgin	Lars Eller	Matthew Nieto
Andrew Cogliano	Darren Helm	Logan O'Connor

Colorado's Defense

Devon Toews	Cale Makar
Samuel Girard	Bowen Byram
Jack Johnson	Erik Johnson