Early look · NHL 2026-27

Minnesota Wild at Los Angeles Kings: game preview

MinnesotaWild2026-27: 2-0-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 46-24-12 · 104 pts · 7that

Los AngelesKings2026-27: 0-2-1 · 1 pts · 2025-26: 35-27-20 · 90 pts · 20th

Puck drop3 Dec · 10:00 PM ET

VenueCrypto.com Arena

All-time meetings95 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Fourteen points apart last season

Minnesota finished last season 7th in the league on 104 points. Los Angeles finished 20th on 90.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 96

Across 95 completed games, Minnesota lead the head-to-head 48-33-14.

All-time record48-33-14Minnesota's record in the series

Meetings played95This is number 96

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Los Angeles

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

5 Jan 2026MIN 2 – LAK 4——LAK

3 Jan 2026MIN 4 – LAK 5 SO——LAK

13 Oct 2025LAK 3 – MIN 4 SO——MIN

17 Mar 2025LAK 1 – MIN 3——MIN

7 Dec 2024MIN 1 – LAK 4——LAK

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateMinnesotaLos Angeles

13 Oct 20252-1-0 · 4 pts15th1-2-1 · 3 pts21st

3 Jan 202625-10-8 · 58 pts2nd17-14-9 · 43 pts23rd

5 Jan 202625-11-8 · 58 pts3rd18-14-9 · 45 pts22nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 13 Oct 2025, Minnesota were 15th in the league and Los Angeles 21st. By 5 Jan 2026 it was 3rd and 22nd.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Los Angeles out-attempted Minnesota 211 to 190

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Minnesota Wild

190 att · 89 on goal · 9 G · 10.1%

Crease11 att · 1 G

Slot85 att · 4 G

Wing58 att · 3 G

Point33 att · 1 G

Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

Los Angeles Kings

211 att · 106 on goal · 11 G · 10.4%

Crease16 att · 4 G

Slot79 att · 3 G

Wing75 att · 3 G

Point32 att · 1 G

Neutral zone9 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Los Angeles have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

MinnesotaLos Angeles

3.01xG for per game2.88

2.83xG against per game2.43

51.5%xG share54.2%

−0.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals+0.4

+3.5GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−7.7

This season: 3 games for Minnesota, 3 for Los Angeles. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Minnesota

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2736.4%

Power play · 2025-2625.2% · 3rd

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-27100.0%

Penalty kill · 2025-2679.8% · 16th

Faceoffs · 2026-2748.0% · 84/175

Drawn · 2026-2711 (3.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Los Angeles

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2716.7%

Power play · 2025-2617.0% · 28th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2674.6% · 30th

Faceoffs · 2026-2756.9% · 103/181

Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Minnesota

Expected starter after their game on 1 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Los Angeles

Expected starter after their game on 1 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Minnesota crease

MIN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 30 Nov

Jesper Wallstedt.9333 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.5

No appearances against Los Angeles in the last meetings.

Los Angeles crease

LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 30 Nov

Darcy Kuemper.8252 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx −4.2

Anton Forsberg.8001 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −3.5

No appearances against Minnesota in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

5 Jan 20266 · MIN 2–4 LAK

3 Jan 20269 · MIN 4–5 LAK

13 Oct 20257 · LAK 3–4 MIN

17 Mar 20254 · LAK 1–3 MIN

7 Dec 20245 · MIN 1–4 LAK

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Minnesota3.001.673.322.93

Los Angeles3.005.002.743.01

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.1Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings6.2Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

6 on the injury lists

Minnesota · injuries

Brock FaberSkullIRReturn15 Oct

Filip GustavssonHipIRReturn1 Nov

Nick FolignoUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Los Angeles · injuries

Jakub DvorakUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct

Jan JenikUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct

Kevin FialaLower LegIRReturn17 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

24 Sep · MIN

Waived for the purpose of assignment to Iowa (AHL) Ds Matt Kiersted, Carson Lambos, and Roman Schmidt and Fs Caedan Bankier, Dylan Gambrell, Justin Kirkland, Tyler Pitlick, and Mason Shaw. Assigned Ds Ben Dexheimer and Viking Gustafsson Nyberg and Fs Jagger Joshua, Hunter Haight, Riley Heidt, Rasmus Kumpulainen, and Rieger Lorenz to Iowa.

14 Jul 2026 · MIN

Signed G Filip Ruzicka to a three-year, entry-level contract.

13 Jul 2026 · MIN

Signed D Filip Ruzicka to a three-year contract.

27 Sep · LAK

Placed D Otto Salin on the injured non-roster list. Loaned G Erik Portillo to Ontario (AHL).

24 Sep · LAK

Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford (AHL) Fs Martin Chromia, Cole Guttman, Lane Pederson and Francesco Pinelli and D Joe Hicketts. Loaned Fs Aatu Jamsen and Koehn Ziemmer, Ds Angus Booth, Kirill Kirsanov and Jared Woolley to Ontario. Placed F Jan Jenik and D Jakub Dvorak on injured reserve.

15 Jul 2026 · LAK

Signed F Elton Hermansson to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Injury report

Minnesota · 2026 draft

See all: Minnesota · 2026 draft →

#83Adam AnderssonRound 3 · Leksand Jr.C

#112Kayden LemireRound 4 · Prince GeorgeRW

#137Filip RuzickaRound 5 · BrandonG

Full draft

Los Angeles · 2026 draft

See all: Los Angeles · 2026 draft →

#19Elton HermanssonRound 1 · ModoRW

#46Liam LefebvreRound 2 · ChicoutimiC

#49Adam GoljerRound 2 · TrencinD

#80Blake ZielinskiRound 3 · Des MoinesC

Full draft

Thursday 3 December · the full slate

See all: Thursday 3 December · the full slate →

Updated after every final

Minnesota Wild at Los Angeles Kings: game preview

Fourteen points apart last season

Meeting number 96

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Los Angeles out-attempted Minnesota 211 to 190

Minnesota Wild

Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Minnesota

Los Angeles

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Minnesota crease

Los Angeles crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

6 on the injury lists

Minnesota · injuries

Los Angeles · injuries

Latest moves

Minnesota · 2026 draft

Los Angeles · 2026 draft

Thursday 3 December · the full slate