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The Minnesota Wild (30-25-7) square off with the Detroit Red Wings (15-46-4) Thursday at Little Caesars Arena at 7:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Wild-Red Wings sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Wild at Red Wings: Projected starting goalies
Devan Dubnyk vs. Jimmy Howard
Dubnyk was an All-Star last season, but he has fallen on hard times, while G Alex Stalock has been much more effective. However, Dubnyk is expected to make the start at LCA, and he’ll get a crack at the league’s worst team in an effort to build up his confidence. He enters 11-15-2 with a 3.34 goals against average and .892 save percentage.
Howard has been horrific this season, going 2-22-2 with a 4.08 GAA and .886 save percentage. He has the league’s worst offense in front of him, which doesn’t help. Of course, allowing north of four goals a game doesn’t help either.
Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.
Wild at Red Wings: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 5:45 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Wild 4, Red Wings 2
Moneyline (ML)
The Wild (-213) have been struggling, so even a date with the league’s worst team, the Red Wings (+175), isn’t necessarily a slam-dunk play. In fact, if you were to take a flier on either team, Detroit is the better option. Still, the best play is to AVOID.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Wild ML returns a profit of $4.69 if they win, while a $10 wager on the Red Wings ML results in a profit of $17.50.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
If you’re going to make a small-unit wager on this game, the WILD (-1.5, +125) are a better play. The Wild won their last road game and covered the puck line in a 5-3 victory at the Edmonton Oilers Friday. Five of their past nine wins have results in puck-line covers, too. The Red Wings (+1.5, -154) are a little too expensive if you’re looking for a little insurance.
Over/Under (O/U)
The OVER 5.5 (-121) is worth a roll of the dice, going 10-3-1 in the past 14 meetings between these sides in the Motor City. The Over is also 4-0-1 in the past five for Minnesota against the East, and 8-3 in the past 11 on the road.
Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
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