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The Minnesota Wild play their second game in as many days as they face the Boston Bruins. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Wild-Bruins prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Wild come into the game sitting at 12-3-4 on the year. Last night they played the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins took an early lead in the game, scoring in the first ten minutes of the first period to lead 1-0 after one. Then, just 36 seconds into the second period, Jake Guentzel added a power-play goal, and Evgeni Malkin added another three minutes later. Down 3-0, the Wild started the comeback. They would score twice in the second period, and then tie the game in the third. Still, they would give up a power play goal to Sidney Crosby and end up falling 4-3.
Meanwhile, the Bruins come in sitting at 19-5-5 on the year. After getting the win on Friday night over the Islanders, they made a quick turnaround and played the Rangers on Saturday. The game was scoreless heading into the second period, where Trent Frederic broke the scoreless game to give the Bruins the 1-0 lead. Halfway through the third, the Rangers would tie it up, as Vincent Trocheck scored on the power plays to send the game to overtime. Igor Shesterkin would end up with 21 saves on 22 shots in the game for the Rangers, as Trocheck would score his second of the game in overtime to give the Rangers the 2-1 win.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Wild-Bruins Odds
Minnesota Wild: +1.5 (-154)
Boston Bruins: -1.5 (+128)
Over: 5.5 (-124)
Under: 5.5 (+102)
How to Watch Wild vs. Bruins
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: NHLPP/ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Wild Will Cover The Spread
The Wild are sitting 21st in the NHL with 2.97 goals per game this year. Joel Eriksson Ek leads the team in goals this year while sitting third in points on the season. He has 14 goals on the season with seven assists, good for 21 points. He has six of those goals and an assist on the power play this year. Meanwhile, the team leader in points this year, and the leader in assists, is Mats Zuccarello. He has six goals this year with 22 assists, leading the team with 28 points. He also has been great on the power play this year, with a goal and 12 assists when man-up on the season.
Kirill Kaprizov sits second on the team in points and assists. He enters the game with eight goals this year, with 17 assists good for 25 points. Like many of the top scorers, a large portion of his work has been on the power play. Kaprizov has five goals and eight assists on the power play this year. Still, the power play production drops after the top three guys. Matt Boldy enters the game with eight goals and ten assists on the year, but just two goals and two assists on the power play. Meanwhile, Marco Rossi is second on the team in goals with ten of them, but just one comes on the power play this year.
On the power play, the Wild sit 24th in the NHL with a 16.3 percent success rate. They have scored 16 power-play goals this year. The Wild also have struggled on the power play this year, which was an issue again in the game with the Penguins. They sit 31st in the NHL with a 72.4 percent success rate on the penalty kill.
Marc-Andre Fleury will be in goal tonight for the Wild. Fleury was originally expected to start in Pittsburgh but was moved to face the Bruins in this game. He is 4-5-2 on the year with a 3.29 goals-against average and a .886 save percentage. He has been solid in his last two starts. Last time out, he saved 36 of 40 shots in the game but took the loss to the Oilers. The time before that, he saved 28 of 29 shots and took the win over the Blackhawks. This means he has a .928 save percentage and a 2.55 goals-against average in the last two games.
Why The Bruins Will Cover The Spread
The Bruins are 15th in the NHL this year in goals per game, scoring 3.17 goals per contest on the season. It is David Pastrnak that leads the way for them. He enters the game leading the team in goals, assists, and points on the season. Pastrnak had 17 goals on the season with 24 assists, good for 41 points. He has also been great on the power play this year, with five goals and 13 assists when man-up this year. Meanwhile, Brad Marchand sits second in goals and points, while sitting second tied for second in assists. He enters the game with 13 goals and 14 assists, good for 26 points. Like Pastrnak, he has been solid on the power play, with four goals and nine assists.
Rounding out the top line was Pavel Zacha. He had eight goals and 11 assists on the year before going down with an injury. He is on the IR and will not be playing in this game. That means Charlie Coyle will take that top-line spot. He enters the game with ten goals and 11 assists on the year, good for 21 points. Meanwhile, James Van Riemsdyk will need to anchor the second rotation. He enters the game with six goals and 14 assists.
The Bruins' power play has been solid this year, sitting at 24.2 percent success on the season and 22 goals, good for seventh in the NHL. They have been dominant on the penalty kill though. The Bruins are first in the NHL with an 88.3 percent success rate on the penalty kill this year.
With Jeremy Swaymann starting last time out, it is expected to be Linus Ullmark in goal tonight. He is 10-4-1 on the year with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. Ullmark has not been at his best as of late though. He has given up three or more goals in each of his last five starts, including giving up four last time out.
Final Wild-Bruins Prediction & Pick
The Bruins are coming in off of two days of rest, with Linus Ullmark in goal. While Ullmark has not been at his best recently, he is still the defending Vezina Trophy winner and still top 20 in the NHL in goals against and save percentage. Meanwhile, the Wild are coming in off a game just last night in Pittsburgh. It was a hard-fought game where they were doomed on the penalty kill. Even though Pavel Zacha is out, the Bruins will still exploit the weak penalty kill of the Wild, and get the cover tonight.
Final Wild-Bruins Prediction & Pick: Bruins -1.5 (+128)
