The Boston Bruins (14-3-5) host the Minnesota Wild (9-11-2) Saturday at TD Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. We analyze the Wild-Bruins sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Wild at Bruins: Projected starting goalies
Alex Stalock vs. Tuukka Rask
Stalock is 5-3-0 through nine starts and two relief appearances. The 32-year-old has a .913 save percentage and 2.56 goals against average with one shutout. He stopped 25 of 27 shots against the Colorado Avalanche in his last start on Thursday, a 3-2 win.
Rask enters Saturday with three straight wins over which time he allowed a total of just five goals. He is 10-2-2 through 14 starts with a .931 SV% and 2.05 GAA. He has been even better on home ice with just 14 goals allowed on 239 shots faced.
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Wild at Bruins: 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 2 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Bruins 5, Wild 2
Moneyline (ML)
The BRUINS (-222) are expected to get some reinforcements with the returns of D Torey Krug (upper body) and RW Brett Ritchie (infection). Wild RW Marcus Foligno (lower body) and G Devan Dubnyk (personal) are expected to remain out. Minnesota (+180) is just 4-10 away from home while Boston is a near-perfect 8-0-4 at TD Garden.
Both teams won each of their last two games. The Bruins beat the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres by a total of 8-3; the Wild beat the Sabres and Avalanche by a combined 7-3.
Back the home side with a $10 bet returning a profit of $4.50 with a win in regulation, overtime or a shootout.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The top value play is taking the BRUINS (-1.5, +125) on the spread. Boston is 12-10 on the puck line overall and 7-5 at the Garden. Minnesota is 9-13 overall and 6-8 as the road team. Ten of the Bruins’ last 11 wins were by at least a two-goal margin. Nine of the Wild’s 11 losses on the year are by at least two goals.
New to sports betting? The same $10 bet for Boston to win by at least two goals would return a profit of $12.50 compared to the $4.50 return on the ML.
Over/Under (O/U)
The play is the OVER 5.5 (-115). Both teams have hit the Over five times in their last 10 games, but the Bruins’ lineup will be bolstered Saturday with the return of its top puck-moving defenseman. Boston scores 3.55 goals per game while Minnesota scores just 2.73 but allows 3.27 on average.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 67-63
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