Off the back of a two-game sweep of the Blues, the Kings remain the hottest team in the league. Friday will see two of the league’s longest win streaks on the line, as the Kings, winners of six straight, will battle the Minnesota Wild, who have been victors in their last four. Wednesday’s win bumps the Kings point percentage to .556, while Tonge’s Ticket now stands at 19/39 for a .487 percentage.
How have the Kings been getting it done during their league-leading six game winning streak? It certainly helps when you’ve only allowed seven goals in that time. They’ll need to be on top of their game again on Friday, as Minnesota enters with their offense rolling.
Luckily for Todd McLellan’s club, they may have Mikey Anderson back in the lineup after missing Wednesday’s affair with an injury. If Anderson is in the lineup in his normal spot on the top pair next to Drew Doughty, the Kings will certainly be poised to play their best game against a red-hot opponent.
Outside of a torrid offensive pace, Minnesota has been propelled by excellent goaltending thanks to Kaapo Kahkonen. Starting the last five games for the Wild, he has a 4-1 record, with the lone loss being the 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Kings. That result needs to be taken with a grain of salt though, as the Wild were without several key contributors on the blue line. Kahkonen has stopped 103/109 shots faced during his team’s last four.
Let’s look at the best bets for Friday’s game between the Kings and Wild:
Kings money line
Odds makers must really hate the Kings. Despite owning the longest winning streak in the league, LA is still +148 underdogs. The team is relatively healthy once again, getting much improved goaltending from today’s probable starter, Jonathan Quick, and is getting contributions throughout the lineup. Having Anderson back on the top pair should put Olli Maatta in a better position to succeed while providing Doughty with the best partner he’s had in years. Until they show us otherwise, keep betting on LA to stay hot.
Over 5.5 total goals
The two teams have met five times on the season, and three meetings have seen six or more goals. Minnesota’s offense is firing on all cylinders, and you can never assume Jonathan Quick will register yet another shutout. The Kings have beaten Kahkonen twice on the year and should be familiar with the netminder at this point. Take the over on Friday night.
Anze Kopitar to score a point
Though it’s been his linemate Dustin Brown who has been on a hot streak of late, Anze Kopitar looks like a solid bet to find himself on Friday’s scoresheet. In five previous meetings with the Wild this year, he’s got five points—all assists. He was held scoreless in the last two games against the Blues, but if it’s a higher-scoring game like we think it will be, the Captain is a good bet to be involved in the action.
Looking for more betting picks? Make sure you follow @HockeysBestBets for my daily picks from around the league. You can also follow my personal account at @AndyTonge1 for my insight on the Kings and much more. Good luck and happy betting!