Minnesota Wild vs. Bruins: It’s a new year and a new lineup hits the road

The Minnesota Wild face the Boston Bruins in a spotlight game Thursday night on ESPN. But what makes it even more of a must-watch game for Wild fans is that it will mark the debut of Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi, the franchise’s first-round selections in the 2019 and ’20 NHL Entry Drafts, respectively.

The fact that Boldy is a Millis, Massachusetts, native and former Boston College player makes the debut that much more special.

“Just adds another element to it having all my friends and family there,” Boldy said. “Just having the opportunity to have more people there to see it makes it even more special. It’s going to be a cool night for sure, being it’s in Boston is even cooler.”

Boldy and Rossi are just part of what seems to be an ever-changing Wild lineup.

Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin, who had been out under the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, was cleared to return this week and should be in the lineup against the Bruins as well, along with forward Connor Dewar  – another recent callup from the Iowa Wild.

Wild regulars Jared Spurgeon, Joel Eriksson Ek, Cam Talbot, Nick Bjugstad and Jordan Greenway are out with injuries and the lineup shakeup continued into Thursday morning as Wild coach Dean Evason said Brandon Duhaime had tested positive for COVID-19.

The Wild, are coming off last Saturday’s Winter Classic at Target Field and are playing just a second game since Dec. 20 — a road game against the Dallas Stars. They face the Bruins for the first time since Feb. 1, 2020, which was a 6-1 Bruins victory. Minnesota is winless in its last six games against Boston overall (0-4-2)  but are 14-8-4 against the Bruins overall in the franchise’s history.

Minnesota faces Washington on Saturday in St. Paul and then is off for six days until hosting the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 14.

Scheduled road games at Winnipeg and Edmonton on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, were postponed due to COVID-19 concerns.

Live streaming: fuboTV

fuboTV has live NHL games on ESPN in which you can stream from your phone, television, and all your favorite devices. This is a service that broadcasts live TV over the internet, no cable required. Watch your favorite teams, network shows, news, and movies on 100+ channels. Plus on-demand entertainment including full TV series. fuboTV is currently available in the United States, Canada, and Spain.

Betting odds

The Wild vs. Bruins odds on WynnBET has the Bruins favored by 1.5 goals. Boston also is a favorite on the moneyline at -150 with the Wild the underdog at +130. The total over/under for goals is listed at six.

Upcoming Wild schedule

Thursday, Jan. 6: @Boston, 6 p.m. CST

Saturday, Jan 8: Washington, 7 p.m. CST

Friday, Jan. 14: Anaheim, 7 p.m. CST