A game that features two teams currently on winning streaks, the Minnesota Wild and the Los Angeles Kings collide at the Staples Center in a Western Conference showdown. The matchup will get underway at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 5, and fans at home can see the game live on NBC Sports Network.
Minnesota Wild vs. Los Angeles Kings Odds
Los Angeles enters the contest as the noticeable favorite with a -140 moneyline. The line for Minnesota sits at +120, and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -130 for the under and +110 for the over.
Los Angeles is 17-11 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 4.0 units this year. That winning percentage, ranked 2nd in the Pacific Division in this young season, is a welcome improvement over the 39-43 record from last year’s regular season campaign. Through 28 regular season outings, 16 of the team’s games have gone under the total, while 10 have gone over and just two have pushed. The team is 7-7 SU at home this season.
The Kings have converted on just 16.5 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that places them in the bottom-5 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated first overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 89.5 percent of all penalties.
The Kings, as a collective unit, have been whistled for penalties 4.0 times per game overall this season, 3.8 per game over their past five outings total, and 4.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team’s had to kill penalties for just 8.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings, overall.
Sporting a .930 save percentage and 28.4 saves per game, Jonathan Quick (13-9-1) has been the top option in goal for Los Angeles this season. If the Kings choose to rest him, however, head coach John Stevens might go with Darcy Kuemper (4-4-4 record, .944 save percentage, 1.72 goals against average).
Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown will both be focal points for the Kings. Kopitar (31 points) has tallied 14 goals and 17 assists and has recorded two or more points in seven different games this year. Brown has 11 goals and 12 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 14 contests.
Over on the other bench, Minnesota is 13-13 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 26 regular season outings, 14 of its games have gone over the total, while 10 have gone under and just two have pushed. As an away team so far, the Wild are 5-8 SU.
The Wild have scored on 22.8 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s good enough for eighth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 12th overall and it’s successfully defended 82.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Minnesota’s skaters have been penalized 4.1 times per game this season, and 5.4 per game over their last five on the road. The team’s been forced to defend opponent power plays a whopping 14.4 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Devan Dubnyk (29.1 saves per game) has been the main option in the net for Minnesota. Dubnyk owns an 11-9-2 record, and has registered a .916 save percentage and 2.71 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Wild will be Eric Staal (10 goals, 13 assists) and Jason Zucker (13 goals, nine assists).
Minnesota Wild at Los Angeles Kings Betting Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Kings, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
Six of Los Angeles’ last ten games have been decided by two or more goals, and the club is 5-1 overall in those games.
The Wild are 7-8 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Kings are 7-4 SU in games where they serve more minutes than the opposition.
Minnesota is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Los Angeles is 2-0 in shootouts.
The total has gone under in four of Los Angeles’ last five games.
Los Angeles has scored 3.6 goals per game and allowed just 1.2 over its five-game win streak.
Los Angeles is ranked 21st this season with 10.7 giveaways per game. That figure has improved recently, however, as it’s averaged 9.6 giveaways over its last 10 games and 6.4 giveaways over its last five.
Minnesota skaters have averaged 9.0 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 6.4 giveaways per game (the second-fewest in the NHL).
The Kings this season have recorded the sixth-most hits in the NHL (24.4 per game), but that number has climbed to 28.2 over their past five games as the home team.
