NHL Best Bets & Picks: Kraken vs Flames and Wild vs Kings – Expert Game Previews
The National Hockey League (NHL) has just five games lined up for Monday night, including a pair of West Coast games. We'll focus on the two evening starts at 9:30 p.m. EST or later.
We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with NBA and/or NCAA basketball action. Good luck with all of your plays! Let's get started.
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For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.
Seattle Kraken 
at Calgary Flames 
The Kraken (18-14-7) and Flames (18-19-4) meet at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta on Monday night at 9:30 p.m. EST on ESPN+.
These teams met once so far this season on Dec. 18, when the Flames doubled up the Kraken 4-2 as moderate favorites (-170) while the Over (5.5) cashed. Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf kicked aside 21 of 23 shots, outdueling Kraken netminder Joey Daccord, who was under siege all night. Daccord made twice as many saves, allowing three goals on 45 shots.
Seattle started out well, as Chandler Stephenson and Kaapo Kakko (PPG) scored two second-period goals, while Mikael Backlund had one for the Flames. In the final 20 minutes, it was all Calgary, as Nazem Kadri notched a power-play goal midway through the third period to level the score, while Matthew Coronato scored the eventual game-winning goal with helpers to Jonathan Huberdeau and Rasmus Andersson. Backlund also had an ENG, as Kadri picked up a helper for the two-point night.
Backlund has been red-hot for the Flames, posting five goals and 10 points with a plus-8 rating in the past seven games, while MacKenzie Weegar has a goal and six helpers in his last six outings.
Seattle has picked up a point in seven consecutive games, going 6-0-1 in that span, while the Under is 5-1 in the past six matchups. However, the Over cashed in the 4-3 shootout win in Vancouver last time out Friday.
Calgary lost 4-3 to the Predators on home ice Saturday, halting a three-game win streak. The Flames are 3-1 in the past four games, and 9-4-0 in the previous 13 matchups. The Over is 7-4 in the past 11 games as well.
Daccord (11-9-5, 2.77 GAA, .901 SV%, 2 SO) is projected to start for the Kraken, while Dustin Wolf (14-15-2, 2.86 GAA, .900 SV%, 2 SO) is confirmed to tend the twine for the home side.
Let's back the Flames, as they're 3-0-1 in the past four meetings since Feb. 2, 2025, with the Over hitting in each of the past two meetings, including the first battle this season three weeks ago.
- Flames ML (-142 DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Over 5.5 (-120 Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, Fanatics and FanDuel Sportsbooks)
Minnesota Wild 
at Los Angeles Kings 
The Wild (25-10-8) and Kings (17-14-9) will meet at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Monday at 10:30 p.m. EST on ESPN+.
This is the second meeting in a back-to-back in SoCal, as the Kings picked up a 5-4 shootout victory Saturday.
In the first period of Saturday's matchup, Adrian Kempe and Jake Middleton exchanged goals. Late in the second period, Corey Perry and Joel Eriksson Ek exchanged power-play goals, and nothing was solved through 40 minutes.
For the third time early in the third period, Los Angeles took the lead, as Quinton Byfield made it 3-2, while Brock Faber leveled it at 7:33. Samuel Helenius gave the Kings their fourth led at 12:09, but Matt Boldy forced overtime with an even-strength marker at 17:03, with helpers to Marcus Foligno and Faber.
Jesper Wallstedt kicked aside 34 of 38 shots, while Darcy Kuemper allowed four goals on 28 shots.
The Wild have picked up points in six consecutive matchups, playing two games into overtime, and two games into a shootout, goling 3-0-3 in the span. Minnesota is 10-1-3 across the previous 14 games, and the Over has hit in five in a row while going 7-1-1 in the past nine matchups.
Kirill Kaprizov has posted six goals and 15 points with a plus-9 rating and four power-play points in 11 games, while Perry has racked up two goals and six points, with four points on the man advantage, across his last four outings.
The Kings have won just twice in the past six games, with Los Angeles allowing 4.7 goals per game (GPG) in the past three matchups. They've allowed three or more goals in seven of the past nine games, and the Over has hit in four straight.
Filip Gustavsson (14-8-4, 2.45 GAA, .912 SV%, 3 SO) will start in this rematch, while Kuemper is expected to go again for the home side.
Let's back the Wild to get the job done, and we'll go low this time in the second installment of the back-to-back.
- Wild ML (-115 at Bet365 and Hard Rock Sportsbooks)
- Over 5.5 (-110 at Fanatics Sportsbook)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+825 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Wild at Kings and Over 5.5 - SGP (+225)
- Flames vs. Kraken and Over 5.5 - SGP (+184)
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+285 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Wild ML (-120) at Kings
- Flames ML (-154) vs. Kraken
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+244 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Over 5.5 (-112) - Wild at Kings
- Over 5.5 (-122) - Kraken at Flames
