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The Minnesota Wild (1-0-0) and Toronto Maple Leafs (1-0-0) meet Saturday at Scotiabank Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Wild vs. Maple Leafs odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Wild upended the Florida Panthers 2-0 behind Filip Gustavsson in the team’s opener, ending a 5-game losing streak to the Cats in the process. Minnesota had lost 3 straight home games to Florida, too.
The Maple Leafs were involved in a wild one in the team’s opener Wednesday, nipping the rival Montreal Canadiens 6-5 in a shootout. Auston Matthews notched the hat trick, helping the Leafs erase a 5-3 deficit midway through the 3rd period.
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Wild at Maple Leafs odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:07 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Wild +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Maple Leafs -175 (bet $175 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Wild +1.5 (-160) | Maple Leafs -1.5 (+135)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Wild at Maple Leafs projected goalies
Marc-Andre Fleury (24-16-4, 2.85 GAA, .908 SV%, 2 SO in 2022-23) vs. Ilya Samsonov (27-10-5, 2.33 GAA, .919 SV%, 4 SO in 2022-23)
Fleury was not the starter on Opening Night, as that honor went to Gustavsson. The latter went on to post the shutout against the visiting Panthers. Fleury faced the Leafs last season, allowing 4 goals on 28 shots in a 4-3 home loss on Nov. 25, 2022.
Samsonov was super shaky in Wednesday’s game against Montreal. Head coach Sheldon Keefe will go right back to the Russian tendy for this one. He was in the crease for a 2-1 OT win in Toronto against the Wild on Feb. 24 last season, stopping 24 of the 25 shots he faced.
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Wild at Maple Leafs picks and predictions
Prediction
Wild 4, Maple Leafs 3
Moneyline
The WILD (+145) are worth a look as moderate underdogs on the road.
Minnesota looked very good shutting down the high-octane Florida Panthers offensive attack in the Twin Cities. The Maple Leafs (-175) are too expensive, and their defense and goaltending was awfully shoddy in the opener against a subpar Habs side.
Puck line/Against the spread
If you can’t bring yourself to bet them straight up, the WILD +1.5 (-160) aren’t priced out of line if you’d like a little bit of insurance.
Both meetings last season were won by the Maple Leafs -1.5 (+135), but each contest was decided by a single goal, including Toronto’s OT win at home on Feb. 24, 2023.
Over/Under
OVER 6.5 (-110) is a bit risky, so be careful. Both of these teams had completely different experiences in their opener. Minnesota won with timely offense, tremendous defense and lockdown goaltending, while Toronto won a wild, fire-wagon hockey game with plenty of offense, zero defense and shoddy goaltending. We won’t have a total of just 2 goals, and we won’t have a total of 11, either.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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