Wild vs. Kings Pick
Are the Minnesota Wild going to play their ‘A’ game and notch the upset on national TV tonight when they play the host Los Angeles Kings at 10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Kings are listed as a -130 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Wild are a +110 underdog and the over-under is set at 5.5 goals.
Minnesota enters wtih a 13-10-3 overall record after a 2-1 overtime win at home over the Blues Saturday. Los Angeles is 17-8-3 following a 3-1 triumph at the Blackhawks on Sunday. The Wild went 2-1 in three meetings last season and the over went 3-0.
The game-winning goal in overtime for the Wild in the victory over St. Louis was scored by Matt Dumba on an assist from Charlie Coyle in the first minute. Ryan Suter tallied the other Minnesota goal on assists from Dumba and Jason Zucker. Devan Dubnyk made 41 saves on 42 shots to pick up the victory. The Wild led four-plus minutes in on a goal by Suter, but the Blues managed to even the score in the second period.
Anze Kopitar paced the Kings in the win at Chicago as he registered a goal and an assist. Dustin Brown and Christian Folin added a goal apiece. Jonathan Quick turned away 24 of 25 shots to get the win. Brown made it a 2-0 game with a couple minutes left in regulation and after the Blackhawks trimmed the score back to 2-1 with under two minutes to play, LA received an insurance goal from Kopitar with 52 seconds left to seal it.
Minnesota is 4-1 in the last five meetings. The home team is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
Los Angeles could experience a bit of a letdown here after a big statement win at Chicago. The Wild are a disciplined team which limits quality scoring chances by the opposition and Dubnyk has the capability of turning into a wall at times. Look for him to play a stellar game in goal and Minnesota to find its way to enough offense to carve out an upset victory.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: MINNESOTA WILD +110