{"id":438161,"date":"2026-01-31T15:35:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T15:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/438161\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T15:35:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T15:35:11","slug":"nhl-predictions-jan-31-minnesota-wild-vs-edmonton-oilers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/438161\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Jan 31 Minnesota Wild vs Edmonton Oilers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at\u00a0Last Word On Hockey\u00a0look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. Our featured game of this edition is the Minnesota Wild taking on the Edmonton Oilers. Don\u2019t forget to check out more\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/nhl-predictions\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NHL Predictions<\/a>, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n<p>NHL Predictions<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"taCEFAF3Q_5avuUWx3uUEA\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2206389801\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Colorado Avalanche vs Detroit Red Wings<br \/>\n2024-25 Season Series: Avalanche 2-0 Red Wings<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/full-guide-for-how-to-stream-and-watch-nhl-hockey-games\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">How to Watch<\/a>:\u00a0US TV: ABC; ESPN+. Canada TV: TSN2; RDS<\/p>\n<p>Time:\u00a01 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thescore.com\/nhl\/events\/31975\" target=\"_blank\">We open up<\/a> NHL predictions with the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/27\/colorado-avalanche-reward-defenceman-with-deal\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Colorado Avalanche<\/a> meeting the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/28\/detroit-red-wings-veteran-defenceman-signs-contract-extension\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Detroit Red Wings<\/a> for a matinee matchup. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/blackma01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-31_hr\">Mackenzie Blackwood<\/a> is the expected starter for Colorado but always check social media before locking in a daily fantasy starter. The Avalanche are 4-4-2 in their previous 10 games, including losses in their last two games. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/mackina01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-31_hr\">Nathan MacKinnon<\/a> is making a strong case to claim the Hart Trophy with 38 goals, 50 assists, and 88 points.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=gibsojo02,gibsojo01&amp;search=John+Gibson&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-31_hr\">John Gibson<\/a> is the confirmed starter for the Red Wings, who are 6-2-2 in the last 10 entering this matchup with their old rival from the 1990s and the 2000s. However, Detroit has dropped three of its last four games prior to today\u2019s game. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/raymolu01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-31_hr\">Lucas Raymond<\/a> is first on the club in assists (40) and points (58) so far this season.<\/p>\n<p>Both teams are looking to get back on track in the first portion of a home-and-home set. However, Colorado gets back on track with the win.<\/p>\n<p>Prediction: Avalanche win 4-3.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at\u00a0Last Word On Hockey\u00a0look at the games and&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5125],"tags":[39246,1314,39097,198,146,369,5300,5,1317,1776,4,24],"class_list":["post-438161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-edmonton-oilers","tag-buffalo-sabres-predictions","tag-colorado-avalanche-predictions","tag-detroit-red-wings-predictions","tag-edmonton","tag-edmonton-oilers","tag-edmonton-oilers-predictions","tag-edmontonoilers","tag-hockey","tag-minnesota-wild-predictions","tag-montreal-canadiens-predictions","tag-nhl","tag-oilers"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115990451149129904","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438161\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}