The Florida Panthers and the Minnesota Wild open their 2023-24 National Hockey League regular seasons Thursday at XCel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Panthers vs. Wild odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Panthers made a deep run in the playoffs last season, eventually falling to the Vegas Golden Knights for all the marbles in the Stanley Cup Final. It will be interesting to see how Florida responds in 2023-24. Florida swept the regular-season series against Minnesota last season, winning 2-1 in a shootout in the most recent visit to the Twin Cities last Feb. 13.
The Wild have struggled against the Cats over the years, losing 5 straight meetings in the series, while going just 3-7 in the previous 10 matchups. That includes 3 consecutive home setbacks against the Panthers since Minnesota’s last win at home against Florida on Dec. 13, 2018.
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