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The Florida Panthers and the Minnesota Wild open their 2023-24 National Hockey League regular seasons Thursday at XCel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Panthers vs. Wild odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Panthers made a deep run in the playoffs last season, eventually falling to the Vegas Golden Knights for all the marbles in the Stanley Cup Final. It will be interesting to see how Florida responds in 2023-24. Florida swept the regular-season series against Minnesota last season, winning 2-1 in a shootout in the most recent visit to the Twin Cities last Feb. 13.
The Wild have struggled against the Cats over the years, losing 5 straight meetings in the series, while going just 3-7 in the previous 10 matchups. That includes 3 consecutive home setbacks against the Panthers since Minnesota’s last win at home against Florida on Dec. 13, 2018.
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Panthers at Wild odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:16 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Panthers +105 (bet $100 to win $105) | Wild -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Panthers +1.5 (-225) | Wild -1.5 (+185)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Panthers at Wild projected goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky (37-13-8, 2.48 GAA, .916 SV%, 3 SO – 2022-23) vs. Marc-Andre Fleury (5-2-0, 2.94 GAA, .905 SV% )
The native of Novokuznetsk, Russia, caught fire in the postseason, single-handedly carrying the Panthers to victories. Bobrovsky struggled on the road during the regular season, however, going just 10-11-1 with a 3.27 GAA and .892 SV%.
Bob did win his only appearance against the Wild, though, kicking aside 27 of the 28 shots he faced in a 2-1 shootout win on Feb. 13 in the Twin Cities.
Fleury was 12-7-0 with a 2.94 GAA and .897 SV% in 20 appearances at home last season. He actually hasn’t faced the Panthers since Feb. 20, 2022, when he was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. He was on the short end of a 5-2 loss that night, stopping 20 of 23 shots.
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Panthers at Wild picks and predictions
Prediction
Panthers 3, Wild 2
Moneyline
The PANTHERS (+105) are worth a look as slight underdogs on the road. While these teams meet rather infrequently, just twice per season in recent years, Florida has dominated the series. That includes a shootout win last season in the Twin Cities, and 3 straight skates in St. Paul overall. The defending Eastern Conference champions are the play on Opening Night.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Panthers +1.5 (-225) will cost you more than 2 times your potential return, and that’s quite expensive for a singular bet. If you want some insurance, and toss this into a multi-team parlay, it’s not the end of the world, especially since it’s rather early in the season, and we’re just feeling things out here.
PASS.
Over/Under
UNDER 6.5 (-115) is a strong play in this opening night action.
The Under cashed in the most recent battle between these clubs in the Twin Cities, halting a 4-0 run to the Over in the series.
For the Wild, the Under dominated in their building last season, going 20-7-3 in the final 30 home games, while also cashing in 11 of the final 14 tries against Eastern Conference foes down the stretch.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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