Chicago Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild Betting Odds, Analysis, NHL Preview

Not much has changed since the Minnesota Wild (39-13-6) hosted the Chicago Blackhawks (36-18-5) less than two weeks ago at the Xcel Energy Center.

The Wild have gone 4-1-1 in their last six games and remain seven points ahead of the Blackhawks, who edged them 4-3 in overtime in the last meeting on Feb. 8 and who will be road underdogs again Tuesday at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.

Chicago ended an eight-game losing streak in the regular season to Minnesota in that last matchup, getting a power-play goal from Jonathan Toews in the extra session after blowing a 3-2 lead late in regulation.

However, the Wild started backup goaltender Darcy Kuemper over All-Star Devan Dubnyk (32-10-3, 1.97 goals-against average) because they were playing on back-to-back nights. That will not be the case here, with both teams off since the weekend and Minnesota last playing on Saturday.

Dubnyk is coming off a 37-save performance in a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators, as Jason Zucker scored two goals and added an assist en route to the team's second victory in a row. The Wild's last loss took place exactly one week ago, with the Anaheim Ducks blanking them 1-0 at home behind 37 saves from John Gibson.

The Blackhawks have continued to play well since last visiting Minnesota, too, winning three of four and taking six of seven dating back to Feb. 2. They routed the Buffalo Sabres 5-1 on Sunday as solid road favorites on the NHL betting lines, with backup goalie Scott Darling stopping 25 shots and Patrick Kane totaling two points in his hometown.

Chicago's lone setback this month took place the night before, as the team suffered a 3-1 home loss to the Edmonton Oilers one week after beating them 5-1 on the road.

The over looks to again be a solid play in this Central Division rivalry game between the Wild and Blackhawks, with only one of the past eight meetings finishing under the total.

The over is 4-1-3 in the last eight, according to the OddsShark NHL Database, landing on five three times. Six of those eight games were decided by one goal, something else to keep in mind for bettors, with a combined margin of eight in the other two.