In our third installment of Tonge’s Ticket, we’re going to look at the best bets for Tuesday’s game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Minnesota Wild. If you missed it, check out our article on the basics of betting.
Tuesday’s tilt will be the third time the two teams have tangled early in the season. The Kings enter the game with a 2-2-2 record, while Minnesota sits comfortable at 4-2. As you may recall (if you haven’t blocked them out), LA held a two goal lead in both games before eventually losing in overtime.
After their first series of the year, both teams have had remarkably similar results. Both teams have played in two different two-game series, with one taking place on the road and one at home. The Wild split a pair of games against the Ducks before finding similar results in a pair of games in San Jose. LA went 1-1 on home ice against the Colorado Avalanche before departing for St. Louis, splitting the series with the Blues. Here’s a few bets I like for Tuesday’s match-up:
Over 5.5 goals
The Kings (20) have scored more goals through their first six games than any other team in the division. Minnesota has scored three goals in every game this year, minus a game versus the Ducks where they were shut out. Four of the last five meeting between these two teams have hit the over. We don’t expect that to change Tuesday night.
Kevin Fiala to register over 2.5 shots
There isn’t much to this one. Fiala registered a whopping 13 shots in the first two contests against the Kings. Last year, he put averaged nearly three shots a game. That average jumps to four when you only analyze match-ups against LA. He’ll get his chances on Tuesday.
Adrian Kempe to score
Not to take away from Kempe’s hot start, but man it must be nice to play with Anze Kopitar right now. LA’s number one center leads the league in points with a goal and nine assists, six of which are of the primary variety. He’s got to feed the puck to someone if he wants to keep racking up the helpers, and Kempe has been there to take advantage of the position he’s been put it. At +410, we love the value of this bet.
BONUS: Kirill Kaprizov to win the Calder Trophy
Had this feature been done before the first set of games these teams played, this would undoubtedly have been one of my picks. During the off-season, Kaprizov was second in Calder odds at +450, only behind Igor Shesterkin’s +250. If you can place a bet on anyone to win the league’s rookie of the year award, the smart money is on a player who spent the last few years dominating men in Russia and who is already off to a hot start. FanDuel now has him leading the pack at +200.
Follow along as we bring you more picks throughout the year, and make sure to follow @AndyTonge1. If you are looking for more hockey betting picks from around the league, check out @HockeysBestBets. Good luck and happy betting!