Posted at 1:30 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle -½ +128 BET365  -½ +130 Sportsinteraction  -½ +125  888Sport  -½ +125

Pittsburgh -½ +130 over Minnesota

8:07 PM EST. Regulation only. The Penguins returned to the ice on Tuesday night against the Jets in a game they shut down Winnipeg 3-0. It was the Pens' second win in a row going back to before the All-Star break, but prior to that, Pittsburgh dropped five out of six, including three in a row. However, three of those losses came in extra time, while another was just a one-goal loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights. That said, the Penguins are not our target tonight, as we are here to fade the Wild in what looks to be a potentially profitable situational play.

The Wild returned from the All-Star Break on Wednesday night with a 2-1 win over Chicago, but considering the Blackhawks ranked just one spot ahead of the lowly Sharks at 31-of-32 teams in the NHL, that game was a glorified practice where the Wild were called out by their coach, John Hynes, for a lack of effort, execution, and decision-making, "We found a way, but it wasn't the right recipe to give ourselves a chance to win every night…in my opinion, the standard needs to be much higher."

Not only will the Wild take a considerable step up in competition tonight, but they will also be celebrating goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury at tonight's appropriately named "Marc-Andre Fleury Night,” which will feature a pregame celebration, including highlights of Fleury's career. For those who may not know, Fleury spent his formative years with the Penguins, where he helped lead them to three Stanley Cup championships (2009, 2016, and 2017) in 13 years.

While Fleury's accomplishments warrant the awards and acclaim, the pomp and circumstance surrounding such a night is often an unnecessary distraction for the home team. This figures to be no different, and in fact, those distractions are amplified because the subject of the celebration is going to be in uniform, patrolling the crease. Sure, a lights-out performance from Fleury is possible, but even if he plays his best game, the Penguins (with the core group from when Fleury was in Pittsburgh mostly intact) are not going to lack the motivation to play the role of spoiler against their former franchise goaltender on his big night. After all, what are friends for?

Sherwood

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