Buffalo Sabres vs Minnesota Wild Betting Pick & Prediction 3/22/25
Planning on watching today’s Sabres and Wild game? Catch the action at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN, as the Wild hosts this showdown at 2:00 ET on ESPN+. This non-conference matchup has an over/under of 5.5 goals, and the Wild are favored by -1.5 against the Sabres.
BUFFALO SABRES VS MINNESOTA WILD BETTING PICK
The Pick: Minnesota Wild -1.5
This game will be played at Xcel Energy Center at 2:00 ET on Saturday, March 22nd.
WHY BET THE MINNESOTA WILD:
- The Wild enter this game as 1.5-goal favorites and in our projections and we anticipate them winning by a score of 4-3.
- Take the Wild on the moneyline
- On the spread, we like Sabres (+1.5)
Will the Sabres Find a Way to Win on the Road?
Buffalo fell to 27-34-6 with a 2-1 loss to the Red Wings. The Sabres held a 1-0 lead after the first period, but Detroit responded with two goals in the second. Buffalo entered as underdogs on the puck line, and the total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, well above the combined 3 goals scored.
Alex Tuch put the Sabres on the board with a short-handed goal at 11:39 in the first period. However, the Red Wings tied it up at 7:49 in the second and took the lead later in the period. Both of Detroit’s goals came on the power play.
Buffalo’s offense was limited to just one goal in their recent game against the Red Wings. Alex Tuch found the net for the fifth time this season, scoring on a shorthanded opportunity at 8:21 in the first period. The Sabres fired 32 shots on goal but were unable to convert again, finishing with 13 giveaways.
Tuch’s goal was unassisted, and the Sabres did not record any assists in the game. They were also held scoreless on the power play.
Buffalo’s defense will look to bounce back after giving up two goals in the second period of their previous game against the Red Wings. Both goals came on the power play, and they were the only two goals the Sabres allowed. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 21 saves with a 91.3% save percentage, while the defense recorded 5 takeaways and 17 hits.
Does Minnesota Have a Shot at a Home Win?
With a 2-1 overtime victory against the Maple Leafs, the Wild improved to 39-25-5 this season. Minnesota was favored on the puck line, but failed to cover. The total was set at 6 goals, but the teams combined for just 3.
Ryan Hartman put the Wild on the board first, scoring at 9:41 in the first period. The Maple Leafs tied it up with only 52 seconds left in the first. Matt Boldy scored the game-winner at 2:14 in overtime.
After a scoreless second period, Minnesota’s offense came alive in overtime with Matt Boldy netting his sixth goal of the season. Ryan Hartman had earlier opened the scoring for the Wild, marking his third goal of the year. The Wild took 33 shots on goal, but also had 15 giveaways.
Jared Spurgeon contributed two assists, bringing his season total to three. Frederick Gaudreau added his third assist on Hartman’s goal, while Marco Rossi picked up his seventh assist on Boldy’s game-winner.
Defensively, the Wild will look to build on their last performance, where they allowed just one goal to the Maple Leafs. Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves with a 96.4% save percentage, and Minnesota’s defense contributed 7 takeaways and 22 hits. The only goal they allowed came on a Maple Leafs power play late in the first period.