NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Wild vs Bruins (Tuesday, December 19)
Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: David Pastrnak.
Wild vs. Bruins Odds
| Wild Odds | +162 |
| Bruins Odds | -196 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 -134 / +110 |
Coming off a 4-3 loss at Pittsburgh on Monday, the Minnesota Wild make a quick turnaround and head to New England to face the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.
Minnesota fired its coach in late November for Jon Hynes and has gone 7-3 since. The Wild put themselves in a tough position to start the season and still have work to do to climb up the standings.
Boston, coming off an overtime loss against the Rangers on Saturday, has gone through an inconsistent stretch. The Bruins are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and still hold onto the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Here’s a look at the odds for tonight's game, as well as my betting prediction for Wild vs. Bruins.
The new ESPN Sportsbook is now online and you can use Action’s ESPN BET promo code TANBONUS for a new user welcome.
As of late, when you think of the Wild, one automatically thinks of Kirill Kaprizov. However, the Russian sensation has had a down year by his standards, with only one point in his last five games. Mats Zuccarello leads the team in scoring, while both Joel Eriksson Ek and Marco Rossi have solidified themselves as legitimate scoring threats.
Minnesota has been a pretty solid team at 5-on-5 offense, but they have been elite on the defensive end. The Wild are ranked 14th in expected goals with a 51.5 xGF%, and have the second-best xGA/60 (2.3).
Conversely, Minnesota's special teams are terrible. The Wild score on the power play at a 16.3% clip, while the penalty kill is second-worst, succeeding 72% of the time.
There was some controversy regarding the Wild’s goaltenders. Marc-Andre Fleury didn’t start Monday night in what could be his final game in Pittsburgh, where he spent 13 years of his career. Expect to see him in net tonight. He’s had a rough season as a backup, playing to a .886 SV% and a -5.5 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
Maximize your Wild vs. Bruins action with our BetRivers promo code.
David Pastrnak once again is having a lights-out season, registering 41 points in 29 games. And captain Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle are having incredible seasons as well. From top to bottom, the Bruins have one of the deeper teams in the league. However, they are currently missing their top defenseman in Charlie McAvoy.
Even with the best record in the East, the 5-on-5 numbers are pretty pedestrian. The Bruins play at a similar pace to their opponents with a 51.5 xGF%, and defensively they’re 12th with a 2.58 xGA/60.
Unlike the Wild, Boston’s specialty is special teams. It scores at a 24% clip on the power play and holds the best penalty kill at 88.2%.
I’m assuming we’ll see Linus Ullmark starting tonight. He and Jeremy Swayman have split starts, and since Swayman played more recently, it may be Ullmark’s net. Coming off a Vezina Trophy-winning season, Ullmark’s had a down year by his standards, playing to a .915 SV% and a +5.5 GSAx.
Utilize our DraftKings promo code to get the most out of your Wild vs. Bruins action.
Wild vs. Bruins
Betting Pick & Prediction
I think this matchup is going to focus solely on goaltending. Both teams seem to be rolling out their inferior netminders tonight. Because of that, I’m feeling more confident in backing the Bruins in regulation.
While he’s on his way to being a Hall of Famer, the 39-year-old Fleury has lost his fastball. Those numbers are hard to ignore.
Minnesota is elite defensively 5-on-5, but that penalty kill is unbearable. The Wild find themselves in the penalty box fifth-most of any team in the league. Boston can, and will, make you pay, especially with Pastrnak looming with his one-timer.
No matter how hot the Wild have been since their coaching change, they might be coming down to Earth, especially against a juggernaut in the Bruins.
Pick: Bruins 60-Minute Moneyline (-125 at FanDuel)
For extra value betting Boston, use our FanDuel Promo Code and get bonus bets as a new user welcome.
How would you rate this article?
Follow Us On Social
