The Los Angeles Kings host the Minnesota Wild [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/] for the second-of-three meetings between the two clubs this season. In their last game back on November 5th, 2024, in Minnesota, the Kings walked out the victor, 5-1. LA Forward Trevor Lewis, who has since been sidelined with a lower body injury, recorded both his 100th and 101st NHL career goals. While his injury would normally result in another Forward checking into the lineup, Head Coach Jim Hiller could go with an 11-7 format; a recipe that worked in the Kings’ 3-2 win against the Dallas Stars [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars/] on Wednesday. The Wild come into this one hot, riding a five-game winning streak (7-2-1 in their last ten games played). In both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 NHL regular seasons, the Kings and Wild met three times. Interestingly, the Kings won the first-two games in each season’s series and lost the third. If history is to repeat itself, expect a win for LA this evening and a loss in the final season meeting on March 17th, 2025. WE’RE GOING STREAKING! The Los Angeles Kings are riding a four-game winning streak, outscoring their opponents 14-6 during that run. A win tonight would extend the Kings’ streak to five – the fifth time LA will have achieved that feat in the last three seasons (including the 2024-25 campaign). Their largest consecutive win streak in franchise history came back in 2009-10 (9). The team leader in points that season was… you guessed it, Anze Kopitar. The more things change the more they stay the same, I suppose. Kopitar is once again leading the club with thirty points (8G, 22A) and will look to extend his current points streak to three games (2GP – 1G – 2A – 3P). RETURNING THE FABER In the summer of 2022, LA acquired Kevin Fiala from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Brock Faber and the Kings’ first round pick that year. The initial reaction amongst Kings fans was a positive one. LA added an offensive dynamo who could put them over the top. That tune has since changed [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings/latest-news/breaking-down-the-fiala-faber-trade-two-years-in], largely due to Faber’s coming out party, last season. Constructive criticism is one thing. But being overly critical tends to lean towards a denial of reality. The reality is: Fiala has been money against his former club. Since the deal, he has matched up against the Wild seven times registering nine points (3G, 6A) with a +2 rating. Faber has faced the Kings four times with one point (1A) and a -6 rating. The lopsided statistics land in Fiala and the Kings’ favor; a trend Faber and the Wild will look to move in the opposite direction. KAPS LOCK Minnesota Forward Kirill “the Thrill” Kaprizov didn’t earn his nickname for nothing. In his career against Los Angeles, Kaprizov has certainly been a thorn in the Kings’ side with seventeen points (10G, 7A) in eighteen matchups. While those numbers certainly cut the mustard, for Kaprizov they’re not so thrilling (relatively speaking). Of the twelve NHL clubs he’s played ten-or-more career games against, he’s averaged over a point per game versus nine of them. The other three: Vegas, St. Louis, and LA. Over their last ten meetings, the Kings have held Kaprizov to eight points (4G, 4A) and a -3 rating. In that stretch, LA have blanked Kaprizov four times. That won’t last forever – especially for a player dubbed “the Thrill” – but the Kings will certainly try. Puck drop is slated for 5:05 PM PST. You can watch the game on television via KCAL or listen live with the ESPN LA app. SwedenGoaltenders
