In their second head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Los Angeles Kings and the Minnesota Wild clash at the Xcel Energy Center in a Western Conference showdown. NBC Sports Network will air the game, and the puck drops at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, March 19.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Minnesota Wild Odds
Minnesota (-140) is currently the favorite over Los Angeles (+120) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 5 goals (-140 to bet the over, +120 for the under).
Earning moneyline bettors 2.5 units, the Wild are 41-31 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, ranked 3rd in the Central Division in this young season, isn’t too far off from to the 49-33 record the team posted during last year’s regular season campaign. Through 72 regular season contests, 37 of its games have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under and just four have pushed. The team’s 24-12 SU at home this season.
Minnesota’s converted on 20.6 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated 19th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.7 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Minnesota has been called for penalties 3.8 times per game overall this season, and 2.8 per game over its past five outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 6.9 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, in total.
Sporting a .916 save percentage and 27.2 saves per game, Devan Dubnyk (32-20-5) has been the top goalkeeper for the Wild this year. If head coach Bruce Boudreau chooses to rest him, however, the team may roll with Alex Stalock (10-16-16 record, .912 save percentage, 2.79 goals against average).
Eric Staal and Mikael Granlund will both spearhead the attack for the Wild. Staal (70 points) has tallied 38 goals and 32 assists and has recorded multiple points 17 times this year. Granlund has 19 goals and 39 assists to his name and has notched a point in 37 contests.
On the other bench, Los Angeles is 39-33 straight up (SU) and has netted 1.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. A total of 37 of its contests have gone under the total, while 32 have gone over and just three have pushed. As an away team, Los Angeles is 20-16 SU.
Los Angeles has converted on 19.7 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked second overall and it’s successfully killed off 84.1 percent of all penalties.
Los Angeles’ skaters have been whistled for penalties 4.0 times per game this season, and 2.8 per game over their last five on the road. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jonathan Quick (27.2 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for Los Angeles. Quick has 28 wins, 28 losses, and two OT losses to his credit, while registering a .922 save percentage and 2.42 goals against average this year.
Anze Kopitar (29 goals, 51 assists) has been one of the most vital playmakers on offense for the visiting Kings.
Los Angeles Kings at Minnesota Wild Free Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Wild, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
The under has hit in three of Los Angeles’ last five games.
Los Angeles has attempted 31.3 shots per contest overall this season (ranked 21st in the NHL), and 33.4 in its last five road outings.
The Kings are 14-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 26-17 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Minnesota is 3-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Los Angeles is 2-1 in shootouts.
Minnesota has managed 6.4 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 5.8 takeaways per game (ranked 28th overall).
Los Angeles is ranked 32nd overall with 4.8 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down lately, however, as the team has averaged 3.8 takeaways over its last 10 games and 2.6 takeaways over its last five.
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