The Minnesota Wild are home to the Los Angeles Kings tonight and are looking to return to their winning ways after a tough loss on Friday to Vancouver. The Wild have 7 points through 7 games this season, while the Kings have a (5-2-0) record for 10 points having also played 7 games.
Minnesota has looked really good at times, (ie 6-2 win over the ‘Nucks), but also really bad (ie 5-1 loss a few days later the same Canucks team). Minnesota has always been a much stronger team playing at home and this is true once again this season. The Wild fans are some of the best in the business and always come to the games ready to cheer. It’s not coincidence that the Wild have sold out every single game since they came into the league. The Wild’s home record this season is (2-2-0), but one of these home games took place in Helsinki to kick off the season, so their actual record is (2-1-0). The Wild will need another strong performance from Nicklas Backstrom and to feed off the energy of the fans to take this game against a very strong Los Angeles team.
The Kings are off to a great start this season, but their only 2 losses have come on the road. This is the Kings 3rd game of a long 5 game road trip and weariness may begin to set in. Jonathan Quick will likely get the start tonight and he has looked very sharp so far this season with a (4-1-0) record, a .929 save percentage and 1.97 GAA. Quick has a (5-2) lifetime record against the Wild and he will need to stand on his head once again to give the Kings a chance to win in Minnesota.
Los Angeles Kings -105 (Bodog.com)
Minnesota Wild -110 (Bookmaker.com)
The Kings are slight underdogs on Bodog.com, while Bookmaker.com and Sportsbook.com, our other two recommended NHL bookies, have the game as a pick’em with each team coming in at -110.
My Pick: Minnesota Wild -110
The Wild have looked good at home this season and have had the weekend to think about their embarrassing 5-1 loss at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks. Expect the Wild to come out firing out of the gates and score the first goal in this one. The Kings have been a great third period team so far this season, but their legs may be getting heavy as weariness from the road trip sets in. I see some value in the Minnesota Wild tonight and this will be my only play for this evening. Check back tomorrow for some more free NHL betting predictions!
Written by: Niko de Jonge
Tagged with: Jonathan Quick • Los Angeles Kings • Minnesota Wild • Nicklas Backstrom