Red Wings vs. Kings NHL Betting Odds, Picks: Target the Total

Red Wings vs. Kings Odds

The Detroit Red Wings will kick off a four-game road trip when they visit the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com arena on Saturday night.

With a record of 7-4-3, the Red Wings are off to a strong start after shoring up their lineup with a number of solid free-agent signings during the offseason. The Kings are also playing well. Their record is 9-6-1 record and they'll be looking to sweep their current four-game homestand.

Here's a look at the latest from both teams, and your best bet for the game.

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Detroit Red Wings

With an impressive young core already in place, Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman set out to build a stronger supporting cast on his roster this summer.

The Red Wings acquired the rights to goaltender Ville Husso from the St. Louis Blues and then signed him to a three-year contract. They also made headlines by adding Ben Chiarot to their blue line and David Perron up front.

Dominik Kubalik was also inked to a two-year deal in free agency and has been the most impactful skater among the new additions. The 27-year-old is tied with Larkin for the team scoring lead, tallying six goals and 16 points over 14 games.

For the most part, Husso has also delivered as advertised, amassing a 5-2-2 record. He got torched for eight goals against the New York Rangers on Thursday, but still boasts a respectable 2.54 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. However, he has slipped to minus-1.8 goals saved above expected.

Husso played 40 games with the St. Louis Blues last season, so this performance dip shouldn't be about a heavier-than-usual workload. But coach Derek Lalonde may elect to turn to Alex Nedeljkovic on Saturday night. Nedeljkovic is 2-2-1 for the year, but his goals-against average is 4.34 and he's sitting at minus-6.6 goals above expected.

The Red Wings are also dealing with some significant injury issues. Jakub Vrana is away from the team and Filip Zadina, Robby Fabbri, Matt Luff and Mark Pysyk are also all out.

Tyler Bertuzzi is close to a return from a hand injury, though he probably won't get back into the lineup until later in the road trip. Defenseman Jake Walman could play his first game of the year on Saturday, as he is recovered from offseason shoulder surgery.

Looking at broader season trends, Detroit's special teams are just-OK. They're ranked 28th in expected goals at 5-on-5 and controlling 43.70% of the action.

Los Angeles Kings

The theme of the Kings' homestand has been one-goal wins. They beat the Florida Panthers 5-4, shut out the Minnesota Wild 1-0 and edged the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 in overtime. Jonathan Quick earned all three victories and is 6-4-1 for the year with a .904 save percentage. But, like Husso, he is at minus-0.8 goals saved above expected after getting off to a bit of a bumpy start.

After finishing 20th in offense last year, Los Angeles has gotten a scoring boost from Gabriel Vilardi and trade acquisition Kevin Fiala. They're leading the team with 15 points each and have boosted the club's overall offense from 2.87 goals per game a season ago to 3.19 this year.

The Kings have given up an average of 3.38 goals per game, but those numbers are trending down after a somewhat porous start. With Anze Kopitar at the helm and coach Todd McLellan preaching two-way responsibility, the Kings sit sixth overall in expected goals at 5-on-5, controlling 55.57% of the action.

The Kings are also relatively healthy. Alex Iafallo is the only regular currently sidelined.

Red Wings vs. Kings Pick

When Jonathan Quick gets hot, he tends to like to play a lot. Right now, he's in one of those hot stretches, having allowed just one goal in his past two games.

Though the Kings haven't officially announced their starter as of Friday night, there's a good chance Quick will be back in net to close out this homestand.

The home side is heavily favored in this matchup, which doesn't make for a very interesting betting scenario. With all of the Kings' recent one-goal wins, the puck line (+125) also seems like a risky proposition.

Both teams also have enough firepower to blow past the total of 6.0, especially if Nedeljkovic or Cal Petersen gets the nod in net. However, at +100, the under offers decent value, particularly Quick continues to shut the door.

If the matchup is Quick vs. Husso, look at Under 6 as your best bet.

Pick: Under 6

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