The Boston Bruins (19-13-0) and Minnesota Wild (18-9-5) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. EST at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Wild are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 5.5. The Wild are a 56-cent favorite to win outright, while the Bruins are 45-cents to pull off the upset on Fanatics Markets.
Let's get into my Bruins vs. Wild predictions and NHL picks.
Bruins vs. Wild Odds, Pick
Bruins vs. Wild Preview
Boston Bruins
The Bruins have to be one of the league’s most surprising teams right now. I don’t think it’s a surprise though, it feels like Boston always finds a way to sneak into the conversation.
As of now, the B’s have won four games in a row, including five wins in their last six games. But what’s interesting is that their 5-on-5 game has not been very good, icing a bottom-three team since November 26.
Luckily, it’s the special teams that have been keeping them afloat with the third-best power play and a 12th-ranked penalty kill.
When you’re talking about Boston’s offense, you can’t look anywhere other than David Pastrnak, but it’s interesting how under the radar Morgan Geekie has gone.
Geekie is second in the league with 22 goals, nine more goals than Pastrnak who’s among the league’s best goal scorers.
Another part of this is the goaltending. Jeremy Swayman has kept the Bruins alive in games more often than not. Aside from one stinker in Detroit at the beginning of the month, Swayman has posted a .920 SV% or better in every game since November 21.
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota is having a quick turnaround after beating the Ottawa Senators by the score of 3-2.
The Wild have instantly become one of the NHL’s perennial contenders overnight when they traded for former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Losing young players like Zeev Buium and Marco Rossi obviously isn’t ideal, but when you can grab a top-3 defenseman in the NHL, you must take it.
Hughes opens up everything for Minnesota. For a team that was moving the puck at a solid pace already, I only expect that to rise. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy are one of the league’s premier players, and Marcus Johansson has been a pleasant surprise.
Minnesota’s defense prior to Hughes was OK, and I thought there was room for growth. Obviously having Jonas Brodin and Jacob Middleton on IR hurts, but Hughes’ presence will grow this team drastically on the defensive end.
And the goaltending will only get better. Last night, Ottawa dominated at even strength, but the work of Jesper Wallstedt sent the Wild over the top.
I’d expect Filip Gustavsson to start tonight though, and even though he began the season on a slow note, has improved mightily over the past few games. He’s played to a .921 SV% over the past five games with a 9.0 GSAx.
Bruins vs. Wild Prediction
I’m going to lay the under here. As dominant as the Bruins have been on the schedule, that even-strength offense is scaring me away, and Minnesota takes the second-least amount of penalties in the league, which will keep Boston’s power play off the ice.
Gustavsson is starting to mold into the goaltender we’re used to seeing, and if he gets back into full form, Minnesota’s goaltending room could be one of the best.
I’m too bullish on the Wild to fade them, but I can’t look past Swayman’s excellent track record over his past 10 starts.
This seems like a decent under candidate here, which is why I’m expecting a low-scoring bout.
Pick: Under 5.5 Goals
