The 1-3 Minnesota Wild travel to TD Garden for their first away encounter of the season against the 3-1 Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon.
The Wild endured a woeful four-game homestand to start the campaign, conceding 20 goals in three defeats. They became the first team to concede seven goals in the first two games to open a season, a most undesirable distinction.
Conversely, the Bruins have lost only one of their first five and sit atop the Atlantic Division at this embryonic stage. Boston won all three home contests by a 14-7 margin and look to extend their unbeaten run at TD Garden against a team that will be keen to get away from Minnesota, at least temporarily.
I give you my best NHL picks and predictions for Wild vs. Bruins below.
Wild vs Bruins best odds
Wild vs Bruins picks and predictions
Sometimes all a team requires to break free from a slump is to play on the road. The heightened pressure that comes with playing on home ice can be a blessing and a curse. It’s been the latter for Dean Evason’s team, who allowed 24 goals in their first four at Xcel Energy Center.
After losing three straight to kick off the campaign, the Wild showed character in their 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Canucks. Evason’s team should gain confidence from the overtime win, setting the platform for a successful road trip.
Like last season, the Wild haven’t endured any trouble in the offensive end. They’ve scored 16 goals, an average of four per game. The Wild had the league’s fifth-best offense in 2021-22, scoring 3.72 goals per game. Thus far in 2022-23, the Wild have the joint-sixth best attack.
The Bruins are also scoring at will early in the season and have the league’s third-most prolific offense, notching 4.4 goals per game. Jim Montgomery’s team scored at least five goals in four of their five outings. Their previous game — a 2-1 shootout win over Anaheim — was the only contest they failed to score five goals.
However, there is an ominous caveat for the Bruins in advance of Saturday’s matinee. The game against the Wild marks their fourth contest in six days, an inordinately heavy workload. Their tilt against Anaheim didn’t finish until relatively late on Thursday evening, giving them about 39 hours between games.
While that time frame isn’t too abbreviated, a slightly lesser respite between games along with a frenetic six-day span should prevent the Bruins from winning a fourth straight at home.
The Wild, off the back of a confidence-building win, need these two points badly and should take advantage of being comparatively fresher than their overworked opponents. Look for the Wild to win their first road contest in a game with at least five combined goals.
My best bet: Wild moneyline + Over 4.5 goals (+125 at BetMGM)
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Wild vs Bruins moneyline analysis
The Bruins have fared brilliantly without two elite players, Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy, who are sidelined long-term. Those two absentees should eventually impact the Bruins negatively.
While it hasn’t occurred yet, it’s only a matter of time before Boston feels the compounding effect of continually playing without their top scorer and best defenseman.
Contrastingly, the healthy Wild is too good to continue their underwhelming play, especially in the defensive end. BetMGM offers good value on the moneyline, with the Wild sitting at -105 to win.
Wild vs Bruins Over/Under analysis
From an analytical standpoint, the game between the Bruins and Wild leans toward the Over. Four of the Bruins’ five games resulted in the Over, while all four Wild games had at least seven combined goals.
Marc Andre-Fleury will not look back on the start of his first full season in Minnesota with pride. His numbers are inadequate and make for gruesome reading if you’re a Wild fan. He has allowed 14 goals on 75 shots, which amounts to a .813 save percentage.
While early, Fleury has the second-worst save percentage in the league. Only Vitek Vanecek, who has played a single game, has an inferior save percentage (.773). Fleury also has the league’s second-worst goals saved above expected (-2.895). His goals against average is a swollen 5.96.
Minnesota’s first four games had 39 combined goals, a 9.75 goals-per-game average. Boston’s first four games saw 36 goals, a 9.00 goal-per-game output.
While those stats suggest a high-scoring affair, the Wild will be acutely aware of their abject defensive failures and must be considerably better to beat the Bruins.
Another trend that leads one to believe an Under could be on the horizon is the play of Linus Ullmark, who is staking his claim on the No. 1 goaltending position in Beantown. Ullmark stopped 30 of 31 against the Ducks, claiming his third consecutive win.
He’s 3-0-0 with a .938 save percentage and a 2.06 goals-against-average, while Jeremy Swayman has a palpably inferior .816 save percentage in two starts, but even if Swayman starts, look for this game to follow a tighter-checking script, resulting in the Under.
If Swayman gets the nod, he will be motivated to redeem himself, while the same can be said of Fleury.
Wild vs Bruins betting trend to know
Each of the last two meetings were won by Minnesota and went Over 4.5 total goals. Find more NHL betting trends for Wild vs Bruins.
Wild vs Bruins game info
| Location: | TD Garden, Boston, MA |
| Date: | Saturday, October 22, 2022 |
| Puck drop: | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | NESN, Bally Sports |
