NHL Odds: Kings vs Wild Betting Prediction

Two teams battling for playoff positioning in the Western Conference meet in the marquee game around the NHL on Monday night as the Los Angeles Kings visit the Minnesota Wild, with the Kings as -148 favorites on the NHL odds with a total of 5.5 goals.

Mondays are often a light schedule in the NHL, with only five games tonight and this is the latest-starting one at only 8 p.m. ET with no West Coast teams playing at home.

Spread/Total Subject to Change: Kings -1.5 (total 5.5)
Expert Prediction: Kings 3, Wild 2

How to Bet Kings vs Wild NHL Odds & TV Info

NHL Moneylines: Minnesota +120 / Los Angeles -148
When: Monday, 8 PM ET
Where: Xcel Energy Center
TV: NHL Center Ice
Stream: ESPN+

As of this writing, Los Angeles sits second in the Pacific Division, and it’s unlikely the Kings can catch Vegas for the title. The Golden Knights are -240 for the Pacific and the Kings +350.

The key for L.A. would be to finish no worse than second in the division, and that would mean home-ice advantage for Round 1 against the third-place team, which is currently Edmonton. But the Kings will qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs overall for a fourth straight season.

Minnesota had a four-year run of reaching the playoffs to end last year and is not a lock to make it this year as it sits fourth in the Central Division and not likely to get any higher. But also not likely to get any lower, and the Wild do hold the West’s top Wild-Card spot as things stand today and would open at Vegas. So if the Kings can catch the Knights, this could be a first-round preview.

To make the playoffs, Minnesota is -1600 with No at +900. The Wild are one of a handful of franchises to never win a Cup and are +3000 to do that and +1500 to win the West for the first time. Can’t say I recommend either of those wagers.

Kings Hottest Team In West

Los Angeles is on the longest winning streak in the Western Conference at five in a row following a 1-0 overtime win over Nashville on Saturday. That extended the Kings’ home point streak to 12 games for the third time in franchise history (also 13 GP in 2022-23 & 1992-93).

Quinton Byfield

Byfield scored at 3:20 of overtime to win it and now has a career-high six-game goals streak. Coming just minutes after he hit the post on a 2-on-1 earlier in the 3-on-3 session, Adrian Kempe found Byfield on the backdoor of another 2-on-1. He cashed in on the golden opportunity for his 17th goal of the season. He has taken only 13 shots during his current scoring binge. It’s the longest by a Kings player since Luc Robitaille (10 GP in 1992-93).

Kings coach Jim Hiller has now taken to starting Byfield for overtime sessions. “Speed is important in overtime with all that ice,” Hiller said. “No matter how many minutes ‘Q’ gets, he just doesn’t slow down. He’s got an engine.”

Adrian Kempe

Kempe had been held off the scoresheet in the previous two contests but is now up to 54 points on the season and plus-14 rating. Anze Kopitar, now second on the team with 53 points due to Kempe’s assist, tries to become the third player in NHL history to conclude a season as his team’s point leader at least 17 times (tied or outright). The only other players to do so: Wayne Gretzky (19) and Gordie Howe (17).

Darcy Kuemper had 24 saves in his second straight shutout Saturday. After giving up 12 goals while posting a record of 0-2-1 from Feb. 28 to March 5, Kuemper has rebounded in a massive way. He’s won four straight starts, and he’s stopped 97 of 99 shots in that span.

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Wild Struggling Through Injuries

Minnesota is far from healthy right now and that’s why the team has been in a funk for a while and comes off a fourth loss in five games Saturday, 5-1 at home to St. Louis behind the fifth career hat trick from the Blues’ Jordan Kryou. Jake Middleton scored for the Wild and Filip Gustavsson made 22 saves.

Jake Middleton

He seized the opportunity after the Blues’ miscommunication, ending his 10-game point drought with a career-high eight goals. With Jonas Brodin and star forward Kirill Kaprizov out due to injuries, he’s expected to face heavy defensive minutes. Additionally, center Joel Eriksson Ek remains week-to-week with 24 points this season.

Mats Zuccarello

“I hope it clears up next game, and we can score so we win,” Wild forward Zuccarello said of the Wild’s offensive issues lately – held to two goals or fewer in five straight. “Honestly, everyone wants to go and score goals and win hockey games. No difference in here. Right now, the puck doesn’t go in, and it’s not a lack of trying or whatever but maybe when you get in a situation a little bit extra poise that you usually have when things go well is not there. Yeah, I don’t know. It’s frustrating for you guys to watch but imagine being out there and feeling the same way, and you want to do, but it’s no excuses. It’s not good enough. Next game, we’ve got to compete, and we’ve got to show up and be hungry. We’ve got to bounce back after this.”

Kings vs Wild NHL Odds and Game Trends

The LA Kings are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games.
Los Angeles are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games against Minnesota.
The LA Kings have a record of 2-4 SU in their previous 6 matches against a Central Division team.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kings’ last 6 games.
The Wild are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games.
Minnesota are 4-9 SU in their last 13 games against a Western Conference opponent.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Wild’s last 5 games.
The Wild are 12-5 SU in their last 17 games when playing at home against L.A.

NHL Odds, Kings vs Wild Expert Prediction

Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper is up to four shutouts this season and is 22-8-7 with a 2.16 GAA and a .918 save percentage over 38 appearances in what’s shaping up to be one of the best seasons of the 34-year-old’s No reason it won’t be Kuemper on Monday. When asked if he could have anticipated Kuemper playing so well, Coach Jim Hiller said, “No. I’ll be honest with you. I thought he’d give us solid goaltending. But he’s had an exceptional season so far. I don’t know if anybody could have seen this coming. But he’s been great.”

With a 3-3-1 record and 17 goals allowed over his last seven outings, Wild No. 1 goalie Filips Gustavsson’s performance has been pretty pedestrian of late. He’s now at a 25-15-4 record over 45 games, while also maintaining a 2.60 GAA and a .914 save percentage on the year.

Minnesota has been the third-worst team in the NHL since Jan. 9 (23 points, .442 points percentage in 26 games) and the weakest-scoring team in the NHL for more than two months (2.15 goals per game).

Los Angeles is 2-0 vs. Minnesota this Season

The Kings won 5-1 in the Twin Cities on Nov. 5 behind two goals from Trevor Lewis and 23 saves from backup netminder David Rittich. Minnesota opened the scoring in the second period on Zach Bogosian’s goal but couldn’t solve Rittich again. The Wild were scoreless on four attempts with the man advantage. Gustavsson stopped 23 shots.

On Dec. 7 in Los Angeles, the Kings beat the Wild 4-1. Adrian Kempe and Alex Laferriere scored goals, and Trevor Moore had two empty-net scores. Kuemper made 22 saves. Marc Andre-Fleury made 30 saves for the Wild. Kings 3, Wild 2.

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