Minnesota Wild vs. San Jose Sharks Picks and Prediction for Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Use Code WWWC It’s a matchup of Western Conference teams looking to pick up two points on the ice in the Silicon Valley when the Minnesota Wild take on the San Jose Sharks Wednesday afternoon and we have the inside scoop with our Wild vs. Sharks prediction. Minnesota downed Vegas 5-2 on the road in their previous contest Monday night. San Jose rolled to a 5-4 win road win over Anaheim in their previous contest Monday night. In the last 10 meetings between the teams, the Wild owns a 7-1-2 advantage though the Sharks have won two straight, including a 2-1 overtime road win in the most recent meeting November 11. Read more about this Wild vs. Sharks prediction! Our NHL Predictions are sure to provide a great payout. Check them out!
Minnesota Seeking to Stay Hot As 2025 Ends
Minnesota won their second straight and improved to 9-1-1 in their last 11 games as they took down Vegas on the road. The Wild entered Tuesday night 24-10-6 on the season and stood third in the Central Division, 11 points behind the Avalanche for the top spot. Minnesota entered Tuesday tied for 14th in goals per game this season as they put up an average of 3.08 goals a night. The Wild are 3rd in goals against as they have allowed 2.58 goals per contest this season. Minnesota is 9th in power play success as they have converted 22.7% of their chances with the man advantage this season. The Wild stands 24th in penalty killing as they have successfully worked through 77.6% of their shorthanded situations on the year.
Against Vegas, Minnesota got their offense clicking and cruised their way to a victory Monday night. The Wild held a 7-6 shot advantage in the opening period and skated off with a 2-0 edge on the scoreboard after 20 minutes of play. Marcus Johansson opened the scoring with his 12th goal of the year 26 seconds into the game with assists going to Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon. Matt Boldy made it 2-0 with his 25th goal of the season at 14:06 off assists from Joel Eriksson Ek and Johansson. In the second period, Minnesota held a 13-5 advantage in shots and outscored the Golden Knights 3-1 to lead 5-1 at the second intermission. Spurgeon made it 3-0 with his third goal of the year 26 seconds into the period with Johansson and Brodin drawing the assists. Brock Faber gave the Wild a 4-0 advantage with his eighth goal of the year at 4:32 off assists from Yakov Trenin and Kirill Kaprizov. Eriksson Ek built a 5-0 margin with his 10th of the year at 6:56 with assists going to Boldy and Johansson. The Wild gave up a goal late in the period to see Vegas get on the board. In the third period, Minnesota was outshot 7-5 and gave up the lone goal of the period, allowing them to skate away with a win. Filip Gustavsson made 14 saves for the Wild, who owned a 27-16 advantage in shots, in the win. Jesper Wallstedt (11-2-2, 2.16 GAA, .930 save percentage, four shutouts) is expected to get the start here.
Key Injury Report for Wild:
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- Defenseman Daemon Hunt (undisclosed) is out.
Sharks Looking to Earn Home Win
San Jose won their second straight game as they took down Anaheim on the road Monday night in their previous contest. The Sharks entered Tuesday night 19-17-4 on the season and stood tied for fourth in the Pacific Division, five points behind Edmonton for the top spot. San Jose is tied for 17th in the league in goals for as they average 3.05 goals per contest. The Sharks are 31st in goals against as they allow an average of 3.46 goals per contest. San Jose stands 21st in the league in success with the man advantage as they have cashed in on 17.9% of their power play chances this season. The Sharks are 21st in penalty killing as they have successfully navigated 78.4% of their shorthanded situations on the year.
Against Anaheim, San Jose was sound offensively and that helped them skate away with a road victory. The Sharks were outshot 14-7 in the opening period of play but skated off with a 2-1 lead at the first intermission. Mario Ferraro opened the scoring with his second goal of the year at 10:43 off assists from Alexander Wennberg and Adam Gaudette. After Anaheim tied the game, Macklin Celebrini gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead with his 21st goal of the year at 19:12 off assists from Wennberg and Tyler Toffoli. In the second period, San Jose was outshot 14-3 but outscored Anaheim 2-1 to trail 4-2 after 40 minutes of play. Igor Chernyshov made it a 3-1 game with his second goal of the year at 6:30 with assists going to Celebrini and Sam Dickinson. Willam Eklund built a 4-1 advantage with his 10th goal of the season at 12:17 off an assist from Celebrini. The Sharks gave up a goal to make it 4-2 after two periods. In the third period, San Jose was outshot 14-3 and outscored 2-1 but managed to skate off with the win. After the Ducks made it a one-goal game when Zack Ostapchuk made it 5-3 with his first goal of the year at 13:47 with assists going to Vincent Iorio and Barclay Goodrow. Anaheim got within one again but San Jose held on for the win. Yaroslav Askarov made 38 saves for San Jose, who was outshot 42-13, in the victory. Alex Nedeljkovic (5-7-2, 3.06 GAA, .894 save percentage) is expected to be between the pipes here.
Key Injury Report for Sharks:
- Center Philipp Kurashev (upper body) is out.
- Defenseman Vincent Desharnais (upper body) is out.
- Center Will Smith (upper body) is out.
- Defenseman Timothy Liljegren (upper body) is day-to-day.
- Right wing Adam Gaudette (lower body) is day-to-day.
Wild vs. Sharks Pick
Wild vs. Sharks Puckline Pick
- Wild -1.5 (+145)
Minnesota has been soaring of late as they continue to play strong hockey on both ends of the ice. The Wild have been stingy defensively and Wallstedt has been a force between the pipes. He is fifth in the league in goals against while leading the league in save percentage and shutouts. San Jose has been solid offensively this season but their inability to slow down opposing teams is a major problem. The Sharks are going to be challenged by Minnesota’s offensive assault and with Wallstedt between the pipes for the Wild, they’re overmatched here. Take the Wild to win this one going away.
Wild vs. Sharks Over/Under Pick
- Under 6.5 (4 units)
Minnesota has seen the under post a 21-16-3 mark in their 40 games on the season. On the season, the Wild has an average of 5.65 goals per contest and that number slides down to 5.39 goals a night in their 18 road tilts. San Jose has stayed under the number in 19 of their 39 games this season, with one push, entering this one. The Sharks have seen an average total of 6.51 goals per game to this point of the season and that slides to 6.20 goals per game in their 20 home tilts. Minnesota plays well in their own end and that helps keep this one under the number despite San Jose’s defensive struggles.
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