The Minnesota Wild are on the road at the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. This is the 81st game for both teams in the National Hockey League. The Minnesota Wild are eliminated from postseason play. They are 38-33-9 on the season for 85 points. The Wild are sixth in the Central Division, and 10th in the Western Conference. Minnesota smoked the Sharks on the road on Saturday.
For the Los Angeles Kings, they come into the game third in the Pacific Division. The Kings are 43-26-11 on the season. That’s 97 points on the season Los Angeles appears to be the top wildcard team in the Western Conference postseason. The Kings are coming off a 3-1 win over the Ducks on Saturday.
The Los Angeles Kings are -178 in this game over the Wild. The total for this game is set at 5.5 goals.
Los Angeles Heading to Postseason
Adrian Kempe has been great for the Los Angeles Kings this season. In 75 games played, he has 46 assists and 27 goals on the season. Kevin Fiala is next with 43 assists and 29 goals. Anze Kopitar rounds out the three some with 70+ points. Kopitar comes into the game with 44 assists and 26 goals.
As a team, the Kings are scoring 3.1 goals per game. That ranks 9th in all of the National Hockey League. Los Angeles is getting 32 shots per game, and has a power play percentage of 22.5% on the season. The Kings on the defensive end, rank third in all of the league. The Kings are allowing 2.54 goals per game.
The Los Angeles Kings are projected to send Cam Talbot between the pipes. Talbot is 26-19-6 on the season. He is allowing 2.46 goals per game, and has three shut-outs on the season. In his last start, he beat Calgary after allowing just one goal on 23 shots.
Wild Ready to Wrap up Season
Minnesota has struggled on both sides of the puck this season. The Wild are scoring 3.03 goals per game, and allowing teams to score 3.19 per game. The Wild are 13th in power play, as they are scoring on 22.2% of their chances. The Wild are 18th in shots on goal with 30.2 per game.
The top offensive threats this season for Minnesota are Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek. Kaprizov has 93 points in 73 games played. Boldly is next with 28 goals and 38 assists. Finally Erikkson Ek has been pretty balanced, with 33 assists and 30 goals on the season.
For the Minnesota Wild, they are going to send Filip Gustavsson to the net. The 25 year old has made 42 starts this season. He sits with a 19-18-4 record on the season. He has three shut-outs on the season, and is allowing 3.11 goals against per game. His last start was on April 9th in a loss to Colorado.
Kings Win at Home
With the Kings heading to the postseason, they are going to want to make sure they are rounding into form. Look for Los Angeles to grab another win, and send the Wild back home with a loss.
The final bet for this game is the Los Angeles Kings -178 over the Minnesota Wild. Enjoy the game and best of luck with all your National Hockey League betting.
