Wild vs Kings Prediction 1/3/26 NHL Picks Today

In this article, we will formulate a Wild vs Kings Prediction for this NHL game on Saturday, January 3^rd. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this NHL matchup.

Los Angeles Kings Preview

The Kings have 41 points this season with a 16-14-9 record, and are 16-23 ATS and 16-22 in over/under. They have a 5-9-4 home record and a 11-5-5 road record and are sitting 6th in the Pacific Division. They are coming off a 5-3 home win over the Lightning, and their previous three games were a 5-2 road loss to the Avalanche, a 6-1 home win over the Ducks, and a 3-2 home loss to the Kraken.

Offensively, the Kings are averaging 2.59 goals per game and are scoring 15.7% of their power play opportunities. Defensively, they are allowing 2.62 goals per game and are killing 77.9% of their opponent’s power plays.

Adrian Kempe leads the Kings with 32 points, while Kevin Fiala leads the team in goals with 14, and Adrian Kempe also leads the team in assists with 19. Darcy Kuemper is the starting goalie for the Kings, and he has a 10-7-6 record, with 2.27 GAA and .913 SV%. Anton Forsberg is the backup goalie and he has a 6-6-3 record, with 2.70 GAA and .901 SV%.

Minnesota Wild Preview

The Wild have 57 points this season with a 25-10-7 record, and are 24-18 ATS and 19-20 in over/under. They have a 13-4-5 home record and a 12-6-2 road record and are sitting 3rd in the Central Division. They are coming off a 5-2 road win over the Ducks, and their previous three games were a 4-3 road shootout loss to the Sharks, a 5-2 road win over the Golden Knights, and a 4-3 road overtime win over the Jets.

Offensively, the Wild are averaging 3.12 goals per game and are scoring 22.6% of their power play opportunities. Defensively, they are allowing 2.57 goals per game and are killing 77.0% of their opponent’s power plays.

Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild with 48 points, also leading the team in assists with 24, while Matt Boldy leads the team in goals with 25. Filip Gustavsson is the starting goalie for the Wild, and he has a 14-8-4 record, with 2.45 GAA and .912 SV%. Jesper Wallstedt is the backup goalie and he has a 11-2-3 record, with 2.21 GAA and .928 SV%.

Minnesota Wild @ Los Angeles Kings Betting Trends: January 3, 2026

Why the Los Angeles Kings will win

• The Kings have won four of their last five home games against the Wild.
• The Wild have lost three of their last four road games on the second leg of a back-to-back against the Kings.
• The Wild have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last five games on the second leg of a back-to-back against the Kings.
• The Kings have covered the puck line in each of their last seven Saturday games against the Wild.
• The Kings have won the third period in each of their last seven games as favorites following a home loss.

Why the Minnesota Wild will win

• The Wild have won nine of their last 10 games as underdogs.
• The Kings have lost five of their last six games as favorites.
• The Wild have covered the puck line in each of their last nine games as underdogs against Pacific Division opponents.
• The Kings have failed to cover the puck line in 10 of their last 12 home games.
• The Kings have lost the second period in each of their last seven games when leading after the first period.

Total Goals Facts

• Each of the Kings’ last six games against the Wild following a home loss have gone OVER the total goals line.
• Each of the Wild’s last five road games have gone OVER the total goals line.
• Seven of the last eight Saturday night games between teams from different divisions have gone OVER the total goals line.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2’ market has hit in each of the Wild’s last eight road games.
• The ‘Under 0.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in five of the Kings’ last six games following a home loss.

Los Angeles Kings Player Prop Facts

• Andrei Kuzmenko has scored a goal in four of his last five appearances in home games.
• Drew Doughty has recorded at least one assist in seven of his last eight appearances with the Kings as favorites against the Wild.
• Adrian Kempe ranks T2nd in the league for Game Winning Goals (5) this season.

Minnesota Wild Player Prop Facts

• Vladimir Tarasenko has recorded at least one assist in each of his last four appearances with his team as an underdog against the Kings.
• Matthew Boldy has scored at least one goal in four of the Wild’s last five games as road underdogs against Pacific Division opponents.
• Quinn Hughes ranks 1st in the league for average time on ice (27:19) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Los Angeles Kings rank 31st in the league for goals per game this season (2.59).
• The Los Angeles Kings rank 31st in the league in power play percentage this season (15.70%).
• The Minnesota Wild rank 2nd in the league for goals against per game this season (2.57).
• The Minnesota Wild rank 1st in the league for Period 2 goals allowed per game this season (0.76).

Wild vs Kings Prediction

In their previous meeting earlier this season, the Wild won 4-3 at home in a shootout, but both teams are tied 4-4 in their last 8 meetings.

In this Wild vs Kings Prediction, the Kings are coming as -135 home favorites. The Wild have been the better team this season with 16 more points and 9 more overall wins, but they are on the second leg of a road back-to-back. The Kings have been terrible at home and in very bad form lately, as they are 2-8 in their last 10 games, while on the other hand, the Wild are 7-3 in their last 10. Even on the second leg of a back-to-back, I just have to take the Wild here for plus money.