NHL best bets and expert picks
It’s a bit of a quieter night around the NHL, with only five games across the board, and after last night’s pain, I want to keep it simple tonight.
There is one matchup that really catches my eye tonight, and please, be patient because the puck won’t drop until 10:30 Eastern time.
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Winnipeg at Los Angeles (-185, 6)
The Los Angeles Kings have been one of the best teams in the NHL all year long. Tonight, they return home after a four-game road trip where they went 2-1-1. That said, they have lost two games in a row and should be desperate to get back in the win column.
The Kings are too good of a team to have a lapse like this, and the Winnipeg Jets are playing the second leg of a back-to-back tonight after losing to the San Jose Sharks last night. The Jets have also suffered an even bigger loss than in last night’s game, as it’s been confirmed that their best player, Kyle Connor, will be missing six to eight weeks with a knee injury.
Los Angeles is one of the best offensive teams in the NHL, scoring 3.68 goals per game. They’ve only scored three goals in their last two games combined, which tells me they’re due for a strong offensive game tonight. In their last 10 games, they’ve gone 7-2-1 but have been very strong on both sides of the puck. In that span, they have the fifth-most goals per game in the league (3.40), but their defensive game has been more impressive.
Since November 16th, the Kings have allowed the least most goals against per game (1.70), and their penalty kill has been excellent, skating to an 86.2% success rate. At 5-on-5, Los Angeles is allowing the least amount of high-danger chances against per 60 minutes (9).
Cam Talbot should be back in the cage for the Kings, and he has been phenomenal all season long. Talbot is 12-4-2 this season with a .931 save percentage and a 1.91 goals against average. He also has the league’s third-best goals saved above expected (+12.1).
I feel very confident that the Kings will bounce back tonight, and I think it’ll only take 60 minutes.
Bet: Los Angeles Kings to win in regulation -125 (play to -140)
