Minnesota Wild vs Los Angeles Kings Prediction, 1/5/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Minnesota Wild vs Los Angeles Kings

Date: Monday, January 5, 2026

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Fanduel Sports Network West

Odds/Point Spread: Wild (-130) Kings (+110)

The Minnesota Wild (24-10-7) are en route to Crypto.com Arena on Monday where they will play the Los Angeles Kings (16-13-9). The odds on this game have the Wild at -130 and the Kings are opening at +110. The total comes in at 6.

The Minnesota Wild had a decent effort after finishing in a 3-3 tie against the Sharks their last time out. Minnesota recorded 2 minutes in the box in this matchup. The Wild were neither impressive or disappointing offensively in this game. Additionally, they had 1 attempt on the power play but weren't able to score. For the game, they converted 3 of the 23 shots they tried.

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In relation to their goal scoring prowess, the Minnesota Wild have notched 126 goals (10th in hockey) on the year and have surrendered 106. For the current campaign, they have recorded 55 points and their points percentage comes in at .671. Minnesota steps onto the ice with 133 power play chances and they have scored 30 goals during those advantages, garnering them a percentage of 22.56%. When at even strength, the Wild have allowed the opponent to score 83 goals while getting 96 on the offensive side of the ice. Minnesota has attempted 1,153 shots and holds a shooting percentage of 10.9%. The Wild so far have had 1,212 shots taken against them and hold a save percentage of .913. Minnesota Wild opponents have amassed 99 power play opportunities (31st in professional hockey) and have scored 23 goals in those chances.

The player between the pipes for this game is Filip Gustavsson. Opponents have racked up 497 goals against Gustavsson in his professional hockey career and his average for goals against per game is 2.67. Gustavsson has participated in 194 games over the course of his NHL career. He has a save percentage of .912 during his 9,020 mins in the crease. He has an overall record of 96-67-24 and he started in 186 games. Over the course of his pro career, Gustavsson has 115 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is at .618. Gustavsson has had 5,677 shots against him and has garnered 5,180 saves.

In their last game, Los Angeles faced the Avalanche in an outing where the Kings ended up losing by a final score of 5-2. They had 3 power play opportunities in this outing and scored 1 out of those opportunities. The Kings recorded 2 goals out of the 25 shots on goal they pursued.

The Kings have earned 81 goals at even strength and 17 goals (31st in the NHL) while on the power play. Los Angeles has taken 1,070 shots (21st in pro hockey) and has a shot percentage of 9.16%, while allowing their opponents 1,024 shots. On the year, the Los Angeles Kings have accumulated 98 goals, 41 points, in addition to a points percentage of .539. They have granted a total of 97 goals to be scored by way of 69 goals at even strength and 28 goals while they were shorthanded. They have a total of 118 power play opportunities and they have accumulated a power play percentage of 14.41%. They have earned a penalty kill rate of 78.29% on their opponents 129 tries on the power play, and their save percentage is currently 90.5%.

Across the ice you will find Darcy Kuemper protecting the goal. Teams are averaging 2.50 goals/game and he has given up 1,104 goals overall. Kuemper's quality start percentage comes out to 56.7% and he has made 250 quality starts in his pro career. He got the starting nod in 441 games and has played for a total of 23,323 minutes. Kuemper is sitting with a career mark of 219-152-59 and has participated in 462 contests. He has accounted for 11,849 saves out of the 12,953 shots attempted against him, giving him a save percentage of .915.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy's Pick: Take Minnesota (-130)

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