Wild Survive Blues Rally, Edge St. Louis 5-4 in Overtime Thriller

The Wild gutted out a 5-4 overtime victory against the Blues at Xcel Energy Center, but it was far uglier than Minnesota backers would've hoped. Our Blues +120 pick came agonizingly close before falling short in the extra frame.

St. Louis did exactly what we projected—they brought offensive firepower and pushed a depleted Wild defense to the brink. The Blues' vaunted 3.5 goals-per-game attack showed up in full force, potting four against a Minnesota blue line missing Spurgeon, Faber, and both Folignos. Joel Hofer kept it competitive in net, but couldn't quite steal this one when it mattered most.

Minnesota's 3-0 offensive output looked pedestrian through regulation as both teams traded blows in a track meet nobody expected. The Wild's recent 2-3 skid nearly became 2-4, and their defensive injuries were glaringly obvious all night. But in overtime, they found just enough to snatch the extra point and send Blues backers home empty-handed.

The sharp money on St. Louis wasn't wrong about the matchup—the Blues controlled long stretches and exploited every crack in Minnesota's patchwork defense. They just couldn't land the knockout punch. Sometimes the dog barks loud but doesn't bite. That's hockey. Tough beat, but the process was sound.