The Los Angeles Kings (11-6-6) and Anaheim Ducks (14-8-1) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 4:00 p.m. EST at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Kings are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6.5 (+105o / -125u). The Kings are a -130 favorite to win outright, while the Ducks are +110 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Kings vs. Ducks predictions and NHL picks.
Kings vs. Ducks Odds, Pick
| Kings Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +200 | 6.5 +105o / -125u | -130 |
| Ducks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -245 | 6.5 +105o / -125u | +110 |
- Kings vs. Ducks Spread: Kings -1.5 (+200), Ducks +1.5 (-245)
- Kings vs. Ducks Over/Under: 6.5 (+105o / -125u)
- Kings vs. Ducks Moneyline: Kings -130, Ducks +110
Kings vs. Ducks Preview
Los Angeles Kings
Ain’t nothing like a SoCal battle!
The Kings enjoyed a nice three-day break after their 2-1 home win against the Senators on Monday.
Los Angeles has had such an up-and-down season. Before the win, it had lost three games in a row, but even before that, won four in a row.
So will the Kings please stand up?
Well, to start, Los Angeles has been playing decent 5-on-5 hockey as of late, to a 52.02 xGF% and an 11th-best 2.49 xGA/60 on the defensive end.
Not just that, the Kings are 15 of their last 15 on the penalty kill, which has been a huge boost. On the power play, though, they’ve been struggling mightily, only scoring on two of their last 21 attempts.
Goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been a strong netminder for the Kings this season. Sometimes, Kuemper borders on the inconsistent side. One season he’s great, the other, not so much. But Kuemper this season has been playing strong hockey, stopping pucks at a .910 SV% and is the seventh best with an 11.7 GSAx.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks are one of the NHL’s hottest and most fascinating teams in the league. Not many pegged them to be leading the Pacific Division so far, but here we are.
With a perfect blend of young talent and veterans, Anaheim has a tremendous core in place led by legendary coach Joel Quenneville.
Over the past few weeks, 5-on-5 hockey hasn’t been the strength of this team, but it hasn’t mattered. Goaltender Lukas Dostal has been everything this club has needed and more.
Dostal’s .904 SV% is hardly eye-popping, but his 10.4 GSAx indicates that he’s making the saves he’s supposed to be making. It’s probably because the Ducks are not just a poor defensive team 5-on-5, but they have a bottom-10 penalty kill, succeeding only 74% of the time.
So in reality, Dostal is keeping his team afloat, as are Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, two of the NHL’s budding stars. Not only that, they’ve gotten a revival out of Troy Terry, who shockingly leads the team in assists, after mostly being known as a top-tier goal scorer.
According to the numbers, Anaheim should be dropping off sometime soon, just based on how it has struggled to keep up.
This is a young team, and down stretches are going to happen. But it’s impossible to ignore how well it’s performed through the first 30 games.
Kings vs. Ducks Prediction
Apart from these teams being bitter rivals, one interesting storyline leading up to puck drop is that the Ducks have a tremendous home record at 8-3-0, while the Kings are unstoppable on the road with a 9-2-3 record.
Granted, for Los Angeles, it’s not much of a “trip,” and you can expect the Honda Center to be filled with Kings fans as well.
Even though the banners hanging from the rafters say “Ducks,” this may very well be a neutral-site matchup.
Which makes me think this game could be a toss-up.
However, I’m going to give the edge to the Kings, who should be nice and rested after three days, while Anaheim just played on Wednesday.
Pick: Los Angeles Kings Moneyline (-130)
