The Minnesota Wild (20-17-5) host the Calgary Flames (21-17-5) Sunday at Xcel Energy Center for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Flames-Wild sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Flames at Wild: Projected starting goalies
David Rittich vs. Alex Stalock
Rittich has gone 2-2-1 over his last five games and enters Sunday at 17-10-5 for the season. He has a .912 save percentage and 2.78 goals against average. His last two outings were both regulation losses, as he allowed a total of seven goals on 39 shots.
Stalock also comes into the day off of back-to-back losses, and he is 2-3-0 over his last five games. He is 9-6-2 with a .901 SV% and 3.02 GAA.
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Flames at Wild: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 10:55 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Wild 3, Flames 2
Moneyline (ML)
We’ve got a good ole pick ’em Sunday between the Western Conference opponents. Back the host WILD (-110) as they put their 11-4-3 home record on the line against a Flames team just 10-10-2 on the road. Both teams are coming off victories with the Wild getting past the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 in overtime Saturday while the Flames have the rest advantage following a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers Thursday.
Minnesota is 5-5 across its last 10 games, and Calgary is 4-5-1. The Wild took a 3-0 win Dec. 23, in the first head-to-head showdown of the season. They’ll play again this Thursday.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Wild to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $9.09.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
AVOID the spread with the back-to-back for the Wild making a one-goal game the most likely scenario. Backing the Flames to cover +1.5 at -304 odds returns a profit of just $3.29 on a $10 bet. It’s too much chalk, and it’s not worth the risk.
The Flames are 17-26 against the spread overall and 11-11 on the road while the Wild are 20-22 ATS overall and just 7-11 at home. Minnesota (-1.5, +240) isn’t worth backing despite the potential 2.4-1 return on your investment.
Over/Under (O/U)
Take the UNDER 5.5 (+110). With the Wild turning to the better of their two goaltenders for the second half of this back-to-back. Minnesota is just 3-6-1 against the Over/Under across its last 10 games while Calgary is 5-3-2.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 156-127
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