The Boston Bruins, led by David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, are ready to take the ice against Eric Staal, Ryan Suter, and the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center in an East-West showdown. The opening face-off takes place at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 1, and fans at home can see it live on New England Sports Network.
Boston Bruins at Minnesota Wild Odds
Minnesota (+125) is entering this one as the underdog to Boston (-145), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals (-120 for the under, +100 for the over) at William Hill Sportsbook.
Though the team is 30-22 straight up (SU) this season, Boston has actually lost 6.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. 26 of its outings have gone under the total, while 22 have gone over and just three have pushed. This 2019-20 Bruins team is 13-11 SU on the road.
Boston currently touts the third-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s found the net on 26.0 percent of its extra-man opportunities this year. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it has successfully killed off 83.9 percent of all penalties..
Averaging 27.7 saves per game with a .927 save percentage, Tuukka Rask (18-11-6) has been the primary option in goal for Boston this year. Rask did just play last night, however, so the team might decide to rest him and instead roll with Jaroslav Halak (12-12-6 record, .918 save percentage, 2.47 goals against average).
On the other side of the rink, Minnesota is 23-27 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 50 regular season contests, 24 of its games have gone over the total, while 21 have gone under and just five have pushed. It’s 14-10 SU at home this season.
The Wild have converted on just 20.5 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 27th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Alex Stalock has stopped 25.4 shots per game as the top choice in the crease for the Wild. Stalock has 12 wins, 13 losses, and three OT losses and has maintained a fairly-weak .903 save percentage and 2.93 goals against average this season.
Boston Bruins at Minnesota Wild Free Picks
Free Pick: SU Winner – Wild, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
The Wild are 7-11 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Bruins are 10-6 SU when they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
Boston is 0-7 in games decided by a shootout this season while Minnesota is 1-2 in shootouts.
For both of these teams, the game went over the total in three of their last five matchups.
Boston is ranked 16th this season with 10.3 giveaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as it’s averaged 8.4 giveaways over its last 10 games and 6.6 giveaways over its last five.
One of the top teams when it comes to puck possession, Minnesota is ranked 1st this season with just 6.6 giveaways per game. That figure has trended down, however, as the team’s averaged 5.5 giveaways over its last 10 games and 5.6 giveaways over its last five.
Boston skaters have accounted for the league’s seventh-most hits per game (24.1).
