Minnesota Wild vs Boston Bruins Prediction, 1/6/2022 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Minnesota Wild vs Boston Bruins

Date: Thursday, January 6, 2022

Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA

TV: NESN

Odds/Point Spread: Wild (+146) Bruins (-176)

TD Garden is the location where the Boston Bruins (17-10-2) will try to defeat the Minnesota Wild (19-10-2) on Thursday. The odds on this game have Minnesota at +146 and Boston opens at -176. The over/under has been set at 6.

The Minnesota Wild had a rough game after their 6-4 loss against the Blues the last time they stepped on the ice. Minnesota accounted for 8 minutes in the box in this outing. Moreover, they had 4 attempts on the power play but weren't able to net one. The Wild played really well in this defeat. For the outing, they tallied a score on 4 of the 33 shots they put on net.

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The Wild have had 990 shots attempted against them and hold a save percentage of .903. When playing at even strength, the Wild have allowed the opponent to score 75 goals while earning 96 themselves. Minnesota Wild opponents have tallied 109 power play opportunities (3rd in pro hockey) and have a total of 21 goals in those attempts. For the current season, they have 40 points and their points percentage is sitting at .645. Minnesota has attempted 1,019 shots and holds a shot percentage of 11.1%. When discussing scoring goals, the Minnesota Wild have tallied 113 goals (7th in pro hockey) for the year and have allowed 96. Minnesota has accumulated 101 power play chances and they have scored 17 goals out of those attempts, giving them a rate of 16.83%.

Patrolling the crease for the game will be Kaapo Kahkonen. Kahkonen has been involved in 37 games throughout his NHL career. He has earned a win-loss record of 23-11-2 and he has started in 35 games. Opponents have tallied 102 goals against Kahkonen in his pro hockey career and his goals against average is 2.85. Kahkonen has seen 1,067 shot attempts taken against him and has accrued 965 total saves. His save percentage currently is at .904 in his 2,144 minutes in the crease. For his professional hockey career, Kahkonen has recorded 17 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .486.

In their last game, Boston squared up with the Devils in a matchup where the Bruins notched a victory by a final score of 5-3. They had 1 opportunity on the power play in this outing but weren't able to score a goal. The Bruins scored 5 goals out of the 34 shots on goal they pursued.

The Bruins are sitting with 66 goals at even strength and 18 goals (17th in hockey) while having more men on the ice. Boston has tried 1,041 shots (16th in hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 8.07%, while allowing the other team 849 shots. So far this season, the Boston Bruins have notched a total of 84 goals, 36 points, as well as a points percentage of .621. They have earned 84 power play opportunities and they have a power play percentage of 21.43%. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 81.82% on the other teams 88 power play chances, and their save percentage is currently 91.2%. They have permitted 75 goals to be scored by way of 59 goals at even strength and 16 goals while they were shorthanded.

On the other side of the ice you are likely to see Linus Ullmark in net. He has tallied 3,615 saves out of 3,960 shots taken against him, giving him a save percentage of .913. Ullmark holds a career mark of 59-52-13 and has participated in 131 games. He has made the start in 126 games and has played 7,512 minutes. Ullmark's quality start rate sits at 55.6% and he has made 70 quality starting assignments in his NHL career. His opposition is averaging 2.76 goals/game and he has relinquished 345 goals in total.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Boston (-176)

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