by Rod Pearson
Friday, Dec 06, 2024
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, December 7, 2024
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Where to Watch: ESPN+
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Wild +120, Kings -142; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Bet365: Moneyline: Wild +120, Kings -140; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
BetMGM: Moneyline: Wild +120, Kings -140; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Season Record
Minnesota Wild: 17-4-4 (1st place, Central Division)
Los Angeles Kings: 15-8-3 (2nd place, Pacific Division)
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Recent Form
Minnesota Wild: 7-2-1 last 10
Los Angeles Kings: 6-4-0 last 10
Minnesota Wild vs Los Angeles Kings Preview and Analysis
The Wild are entering this game with 38 points, a 17-4-4 record overall, and they are 10-1-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Vancouver Canucks in their last game, winning that one at home 3-2 in overtime, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Anaheim Ducks still to be played on Friday. In their game against the Canucks, Frédérick Gaudreau, Kirill Kaprizov, and Jake Middleton each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Brock Faber, Marcus Foligno, and Marco Rossi each led the team in assists with 1 while Matt Boldy led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Filip Gustavsson was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 32 shots with 30 saves and a .938 save percentage. Their offense has scored 80 goals this season averaging 3.2 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 60 goals against them allowing 2.4 goals per game.
The Kings are entering this game with 33 points, a 15-8-3 record overall, and they are 9-2-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Dallas Stars in their last game, winning that one at home 3-2. Warren Foegele, Tanner Jeannot, and Joel Edmundson each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Warren Foegele, Tanner Jeannot, Kyle Burroughs, and Anže Kopitar each led the team in assists with 1 while Warren Foegele led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. David Rittich was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 28 shots with 26 saves and a .928 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 79 goals this season averaging 3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 70 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.
Wild vs Kings Prediction
The current betting odds have the Kings listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Kings have looked good in their games this season with their 15-8-3 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the West. They are coming off another win in their last one against the Stars, and they have looked great on home ice this season with their 9-2-1 home record. Meanwhile, the Wild have looked great in their games this season with their 17-4-4 record overall which leads their division in the West with one of the best records in the entire NHL. They have also been a great road team all year with their 10-1-3 road record. They are coming off a win over the Canucks in their last one, but they needed OT to win that game at home and now they are in a tough spot for this game. They are playing this game on a back-to-back with a game against the Ducks on Friday so that isn't a great situation to be in when the Kings will be rested for this game. The Kings have also looked a lot better on defense in their games lately so they can take advantage of a tired Wild team to find the net here. The Wild have looked great lately, but this is a bad situation for them where they are going to feel the fatigue while the Kings are rested on a homestand, and this is their last game of it before hitting the road again so they are going to make the most of this game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Kings to win this game.
Wild Kings Prediction: Our NHL Pick for Friday, December 7, 2024 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Kings 2 Wild 1.
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NHL Betting Trends
Minnesota Wild: 28-14 (+12.8 units) on the moneyline against poor starting goalies - saving 89.5% of shots against or less. 97-82 (+5.3 units) on the moneyline against mistake free teams - opponents average 4 power plays/game or less. 89-64 (+13.7 units) on the moneyline against poor power play killing teams - opp score on over 17.5% of chances.
Los Angeles Kings: 107-92 (-7.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 28-23 (-5.8 units) on the moneyline as a home favorite of -200 or less. 29-26 (-12.5 units) on the moneyline off a home win. 39-48 (-8.5 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record.
Key Injuries
Minnesota Wild: J. Eriksson Ek (C) Out - Lower-body. J. Brodin (D) Out - Upper Body. J. Lauko (C) Out - Lower-body. M. Zuccarello (RW) Out - Lower-body. T. Grosenick (G) Out For Season - Knee.
Los Angeles Kings: T. Lewis (C) Out - Lower-body. D. Doughty (D) Out - Ankle. A. Thomas (C) Out - Undisclosed. C. Jones (D) Out - Upper-body. A. Kaliyev (RW) Out - Collarbone.
Notable Quotes
"Yeah, it's a challenge. I think going into every year, all 32 teams are going to experience this at some point. I think the teams that have strong collective effort, play a real structured game, play a smart game, and you know, it gives yourself a chance to be able to win every night. The other thing is, we feel like in the off-season, this was something we had talked about. How do we get our depth stronger?” - John Hynes on the key players missing from his team’s defense.
“We are going to have guys getting close, and the roster as we go out East will have to be decided, who we take, who is coming, who’s ready, all those types of things. Blakey will have some decisions to make over the next few days, there’s no question.” - Jim Hiller on his team getting healthier with players returning.
Starting Lineups
Minnesota Wild
LW Kirill Kaprizov
C Marco Rossi
RW Matt Boldy
LD Jacob Middleton
RD Brock Faber
G Filip Gustavsson
Los Angeles Kings
LW Trevor Moore
C Anze Kopitar
RW Adrian Kempe
LD Mikey Anderson
RD Vladislav Gavrikov
G David Rittich
Statistical Leaders
Minnesota Wild
Points: K. Kaprizov (39)
Goals: K. Kaprizov (16)
Assists: K. Kaprizov (23)
GAA: F. Gustavsson (2.04)
Los Angeles Kings
Points: A. Kopitar (30)
Goals: A. Kempe (12)
Assists: A. Kopitar (22)
GAA: D. Rittich (2.45)
Coaches:
Minnesota Wild: John Hynes (2nd season)
Los Angeles Kings: Jim Hiller (2nd season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
