NHL Odds, Pick, Prediction: Kings vs. Flyers (Jan. 29)
Claus Andersen/Getty Images. Pictured: Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick.
- The Los Angeles Kings continue their trip East on Saturday when they face the lowly Philadelphia Flyers.
- The Kings are hoping to send the Flyers to their 14th consecutive defeat.
- Nicholas Martin takes a look at these foes below and details why he's backing Los Angeles.
Kings vs. Flyers Odds
| Maple Leafs Odds | -220 |
| Red Wings Odds | +180 |
| Over/Under | 6 |
| Time | 1 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Los Angeles heads to Philadelphia on Saturday looking to build on a very solid start to their six-game Eastern Conference road swing, having started 2-0-1 with a solid 3-2 win Thursday over the now-hot New York Islanders.
Philadelphia looks to snap another shocking losing streak, having fallen in 13 consecutive contests after a 4-3 loss to the Islanders in Tuesday's game.
That said, is Philadelphia due to finally win and snap its losing streak?
Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles are in the midst of a 6-3-1 run of play, with some very well balanced team play leading to that strong record and an excellent 57.64 xGF%, fifth best league wide in that time frame.
The Kings have quietly became one of the league's better defensive teams of late, and hold a number of really strong two-way players inside their top six. They also have one of the league's better defensive pairings with the unit of Drew Doughty and Mikey Anderson.
Anze Kopitar and Philipp Danault lead the way down the middle, and are both notably strong defensively, playing irritating two-way games that set the tone for much of the rest of this offensive unit.
Quinton Byfield, the 2020 second overall pick, broke through with his first NHL marker Thursday, and certainly could be somewhat of an ace in the hole for the Kings after having played just four games after fracturing his ankle.
Matt Roy and Sean Durzi have outplayed expectations on the back end, leading to a surprisingly deep defensive unit.
Altogether this Kings roster offered a lot of perceived upside entering this season and made them a trendy pick to return to the postseason, and their recent play certainly has those ideas looking very accurate.
Jonathan Quick should likely start here having rested versus the Islanders, and has posted excellent numbers with a 15.3 goals saved above expected rating with a .914 save percentage at age 36, having certainly received above average play in front of goal from his team.
Philadelphia Flyers
It's hard to find much for positives in the Flyers recent play, in the midst of a 13 game losing streak in which the team has averaged just 2.0 goals for per game.
A 44.15 xGF% is bad, but not that bad, and I guess you could argue that perhaps that is a positive. But with that said, much of the streak came skating a considerably better lineup than they will take the ice with in this spot, with Joel Farabee and Kevin Hayes both meaningful absences added to the long IR over the last few contests.
The team's defensive core has been quite bad altogether, and it's hard to argue that the bodies are there to produce better results of any sort, with Rasmus Ristolainen, and Keith Yandle both serving as notable anchors on the bottom pairs this season.
Carter Hart has had a great bounce-back year in goal for Flyers, and should draw the start here looking to build on his strong season, in which he has posted a +4.3 GSAx with a .912 save % throughout 27 games played.
Kings vs Flyers Pick
Outside of the "desperation angle" supporting the Flyers, a group of proud professionals who will no doubt be doing all they possibly can to finally win a contest, it's hard to see much reason why Los Angeles shouldn't be able to control far more of the play and hand the Flyers a 14th consecutive defeat.
Philadelphia has been all it can to snap the slump already, and with so many key forwards out of the lineup, and a well below average defensive unit, it's not surprising that things have gotten this bad, when results were already poor with a full lineup.
The young Kings seem to be developing right before our eyes this season, and this three game road trip has featured more strong play. It's easy to see the Kings controlling more of the play here, and holding the Flyers to another poor offensive output.
To me there doesn't seem any reason to overthink this one, Los Angeles should be winning this contest in regulation enough of the time to hold value at -105, and I would play that line down to -120 odds.
Pick: Los Angeles to Win in Regulation (-105)
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