Kings vs Wild NHL Odds, Picks, Predictions

Kings vs. Wild Odds

Riding a four-game winning streak that has pushed them within striking distance of top spot in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Kings will look to stay hot when they kick off a five-game road trip against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.

The Wild are closing out a seven-game homestand. They've won their last two games and are currently holding off the Calgary Flames in the second wild-card spot in the West.

Here's the latest on both teams, and your best bet for the game.

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Los Angeles Kings

Despite big questions about their goaltending, the Los Angeles Kings keep finding ways to win. They rank 22nd defensively this season, allowing 3.37 goals per game, but journeyman Pheonix Copley has continued to keep his team afloat since he was recalled from the AHL on Dec. 1.

Copley is now 17-3-1 for the season, with a .904 save percentage and 4.3 goals saved above expected. The 31-year-old was rewarded for his efforts when he signed a one-year contract extension on Feb. 10. He got the night off in the Kings' 6-5 shootout win over Arizona on Saturday, so he should be back between the pipes on Tuesday.

And unlike last season, when Los Angeles had trouble generating offense, the current winning streak has been fueled by scoring — 22 goals in the last four contests, an average of 5.5 goals a game. Kevin Fiala has delivered exactly as hoped when he was acquired from the Wild during the offseason and Adrian Kempe is establishing himself as a top-level sniper, already with 28 goals this season.

For the moment, Todd McLellan's squad has no significant injuries to report.

Minnesota Wild

While the Kings have been rolling, the Wild have been going through an inconsistent stretch. That's making it difficult for general manager Bill Guerin to sus out whether he should be a buyer or a seller at the trade deadline.

Prior to last weekend's wins over the Stars and the Predators, Minnesota had gone just 3-7-1 over 11 games. The Wild scored a league-low 1.91 goals per game over that stretch while giving up 3.27 goals per game. And they were putting up excellent special-teams numbers on both the power play and the penalty kill, so it was the 5-on-5 game that was coming up short.

More and more, coach Dean Evason has been leaning on 24-year-old Filip Gustavsson in net. He has started five of the Wild's last seven games, including the two weekend wins, and is now up to a .926 save percentage and 12.8 goals saved above expected for the year. And while Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello continue to carry their share of the load offensively, it's the rest of the roster that has gone cold.

After missing the last three games, forward Marcus Foligno has been placed on injured reserve.

Kings vs. Wild Pick

This is the final meeting of the year between Los Angeles and Minnesota. The Kings managed a one-goal win in the two previous contests, but the games couldn't have been more different — a 7-6 final at Xcel Energy Center in the first week of the season, then a 1-0 shutout win for Jonathan Quick back in L.A. on Nov. 8.

So: approach the over/under at your peril.

Fortunately, the moneyline offers a tempting betting opportunity. The Wild are the home side, relatively healthy and riding the hot hand in net with Gustavsson. They're also desperate for points to keep their playoff hopes alive.

But the Kings are clicking on all cylinders right now. They're playing with swagger, confident that they can outscore whatever their opponent might bring.

Los Angeles will also be slightly better rested for this matchup. The Kings played last on Saturday night, while Minnesota hosted Nashville for an afternoon game on Sunday.

Add it up, and there's good reason back the Kings at plus money to get the win on Tuesday and sweep their season series against the Wild.

Pick: Kings +100 or Better

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