Kings look to build off win in rematch with Wild

LOS ANGELES –– Against an opponent whose state is known for its gophers, it’ll be “Groundhog Day” for the Kings as they will welcome the Minnesota Wild for a second straight date at Crypto.com Arena on Monday.

Kings coach Jim Hiller said he was hoping for the same level of emotional engagement, teamwide energy and mental focus that the Kings displayed in their rollercoaster 5-4 win over the Wild on Saturday.

Hiller said that he was expecting an even bigger challenge than Minnesota presented in four times tying a game that ended up in a shootout. The Wild were playing on short rest Saturday after topping the Ducks Friday, but had Sunday off altogether.

The Wild welcomed the challenge as well, in what will be the rubber match of the season series after they won Oct. 13’s first meeting in Saint Paul, also in a shootout, but fell short Saturday.

“It’ll be good, I’m sure they’ve got areas that they want to be better in, and we’ve got areas we want to be better in, so it’ll be fun playing this team back to back,” former Kings prospect and Wild defenseman Brock Faber said. “We really want to leave this part of California with another two points.”

One player who left the ice with two points of his own on Saturday was Kings center Quinton Byfield. Byfield has four points in his past four games thanks to two two-point efforts that bookended them. Of his 23 points in 2025-26, 16 have come in his eight two-point showings.

He’s had a bit of puck luck lately, which he acknowledged, with one goal coming off a high tip against the Ducks and his points Saturday arriving in much more fortuitous fashion. Still, consistent production from Byfield –– or any Kings center this season –– would be more than welcome.

“Honestly, when you look at the stats, they’re probably not where you want them to be, but for myself, I feel like there’s still a lot of games left and I’m still giving the effort, just trying to check and win games,” Byfield said. “I’m starting to play more against other teams’ top lines and I take a lot of responsibility in that, trying to shut them down, but also being productive offensively. I think there’s still a lot more to come.”

The Wild think there is still even more to come from Quinn Hughes, whom they acquired in December in what could be the deal of the decade. He set a single-game franchise record for a defenseman with four assists against the Ducks and continued to work his magic against the Kings –– the single-game record-holder with five is Kings winger and former Wild Kevin Fiala.

Hughes’ stretch pass on the power play Saturday alchemized next to nothing into a goal, and trailing late in the game he persevered through the sloshy ice with some insane edgework at the blue line to create a scoring chance.

“There was like three or four minutes left in the game and all of us just looked at each other like ‘what just happened there?’ He’s definitely a gifted skater,” Wild winger Matt Boldy said.