The Los Angeles Kings (10-6-4) and San Jose Sharks (9-8-3) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 10:00 p.m. EST at SAP Center at San Jose in San Jose, 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 5.5 (-125o / +105u). The Kings are a -180 favorite to win outright, while the Sharks are +150 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Kings vs. Sharks predictions and NHL picks.
Kings vs. Sharks Odds, Pick
| Kings Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +142 | 5.5 -125o / +105u | -180 |
| Sharks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -170 | 5.5 -125o / +105u | +150 |
- Kings vs. Sharks Spread: Kings -1.5 (+142), Sharks +1.5 (-170)
- Kings vs. Sharks Over/Under: 5.5 (-125o / +105u)
- Kings vs. Sharks Moneyline: Kings -180, Sharks +150
Kings vs. Sharks Preview
Los Angeles Kings
It’s the final stretch of a long, windy road trip for the Kings, but boy, should they come out of it relieved.
Western Conference travel isn’t for the faint of heart, so when you’re flying out East for two weeks, and you come out of it with a 4-1 record, count your blessings.
I wasn’t so sure what to think of the Kings leading up to this season, and they didn’t start it very well. But a solid November is just what the doctor ordered.
Adrian Kempe is probably still dancing in his hotel room after securing an eight-year $85 million contract, but it’s extremely well deserved, as he looks to build upon his near point-per-game pace tonight.
Los Angeles will, however, be without Drew Doughty, who was just placed on injured reserve yesterday with a lower-body injury.
Coach Jim Hiller is having his boys play with some vim and vigor this month, though. This month, the Kings are playing to a 54.11 xGF% and a 2.35 xGA/60.
However, special teams haven’t been so special in Tinseltown. Los Angeles is scoring on the power play at a lowly 16.4% and a vanilla 79.1% on the penalty kill.
I also worry about the Kings' goaltending. From the looks of it, Anton Forsberg will start, but in six games, he’s playing to an .890 SV%, and hasn’t been very good against high danger opportunities.
Luckily, Los Angeles doesn’t let up many high danger opportunities as it is, so his volatility when faced with high-end chances turns me off.
San Jose Sharks
I love everything about what the Sharks have been doing, and it’s all on the back of superstar young gun Macklin Celebrini.
At what point do we start considering him for Team Canada this coming Olympics? Because outside of the usual suspects, it’s hard to find 14 forwards better than him right now, fresh off a hat trick to beat the Mammoth on Tuesday.
I think what’s most crazy about this stretch is that San Jose hasn’t been very good at 5-on-5 play at all this month. Since November 1, the Sharks have actually been the worst offensive even-strength team, playing to a 39.77 xGF% and a 2.82 xGA/60.
But that’s what makes Celebrini so special.
On top of some quality goaltending from Yaroslav Askarov on Tuesday, Celebrini carried this team to victory.
Sure, San Jose needs to be better on the power play and the penalty kill, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. The Sharks will have to continue to get better, but I’ve only seen progress from them.
Kings vs. Sharks Prediction
In a vacuum, the Kings are probably the better pick here, but I’m turning to San Jose instead.
Why? Because they’re likely exhausted after a major East Coast road trip, and another trip across the country just to sleep in another hotel bed doesn’t sound appetizing.
Not only that, I look to Forsberg, who, even though I just ripped his game to shreds, did in fact post a shutout on Saturday. The problem is, consistency has never been his friend, and you can find Forsberg posting tremendous numbers one game, and then letting up five goals the next.
I like the Sharks here as the home underdogs, especially at plus-money.
Pick: Sharks ML (+150)
