The Boston Bruins (19-13-0) and Minnesota Wild (18-9-5) meet Sunday in St. Paul, Minnesota. The opening faceoff from Grand Casino Arena is at 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Bruins vs. Wild odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
2024-25 season series: Tied 1-1
Boston’s last game was Thursday when the Bruins played the middle contest of a 3-game road swing. They won 6-3 (Over 6) at the -152 Winnipeg Jets. Boston has scored a combined 20 goals while winning each of its last 4 games.
Minnesota is playing on a second straight day. On Saturday afternoon the -115 Wild defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 (Under 5.5). They head into Sunday as the owners of a 3-game winning streak.
Bruins at Wild odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:28 a.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): Bruins +118 (bet $100 to win $118) | Wild -145 (bet $145 to win $100)Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Bruins +1.5 (-200) | Wild -1.5 (+165)Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -110 | U: -110)Bruins at Wild projected goalies
Jeremy Swayman (13-7-0, 2.67 GAA, .913 SV%) vs. Filip Gustavsson (9-8-3, 2.64 GAA, .907 SV%)
Swayman’s last game was the Bruin’s opener of its road trip at the St. Louis Blues Tuesday. He logged 24 saves while allowing 2 goals. Swayman has allowed more-than-2 goals in just 1 of his last 5 road starts.
Gustavsson last played Thursday when he stopped 16-of-18 pucks in a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars. He owns a .930 SV% over his last 7 games.
Bruins at Wild picks and predictionsPrediction
Bruins 4, Wild 3
Over the last 2 seasons, no-rest Minnesota has averaged 2.50 goals per game against 3.06 GPG allowed. When playing on 2-days’ rest, thisyear’s Bruins have gone 4-2-0.
Swayman has been quite good on the road and over his career has logged a .942 SV% in 4 games against Minnesota. Still, he is backing a Boston defense that has been ripped to shreds in 5-on-5 action, so it figures the Bruins may have to prevail in a high-scoring contest. Enter a Boston offense that has registered improved 5-on-5 analytics in recent weeks. That newfound even-strength success goes alongside one of the best power plays in the NHL. The Boston power play has cranked out a 26.1% success rate (fifth NHL) overall and a 33% success rate since Nov. 8.
Gustavsson has been much better on the road this season. He owns a .920 SV% in away games and an .893 SV% on home ice. Minnesota has played a lesser schedule and does not have the scoring profile or expected-goal analytics to back a .641 point percentage.
There is value on Boston in this spot. But a return closer to +125 would make the wager something on which to jump with some aggression. Consider a partial-unit play on the BRUINS (+118).
No interest; PASS.
The Over is 4-1 across Boston’s last 5 games. The Bruins’ last 12 road games have produced 8 Overs.
Both offenses have clicked of late. And both power plays have some juice. Minnesota yielded 36 shots on goal and 2 PP goals in Saturday’s game. Both sides scoring at least 3 would not be a surprise here.
THE OVER 6 (-110) HAS VALUE.
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