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The Nashville Predators continue their road trip as they face the Los Angeles Kings. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Predators-Kings prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Predators come into the game sitting at 24-19-1 on the year, sitting fourth in the Central Division. Last time out, they faced the Vegas Golden Knights. Mark Stone scored the first goal in the game to give the Golden Knights the 1-0 lead. In the second, Stone would add his second of the game, and then Luke Evangelista would make it a one-goal game again for Nashville. Still, Stone would add his third goal of the game to end the period. In the third, Jonathan Marchessault added an empty net goal to give the Golden Knights the 4-1 victory.
Meanwhile, the Kings come into the game sitting at 21-12-8, but they have won just once in their last ten games. Last time out, they faced the Dallas Stars. The Stars struck first with a goal by Roope Hintz, and then Evgenii Dadonov would make it 2-0 before the end of the period. Drew Doughty scored on the power play in the second to make it 2-1, but in the third, the Stars would score three times, giving the Stars a 5-1 victory.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Predators-Kings Odds
Nashville Predators: +1.5 (-172)
Moneyline: +140
Los Angeles Kings: -1.5 (+142)
Moneyline: -170
Over: 6.5 (+110)
Under: 6.5 (-134)
How to Watch Predators vs. Kings
Time: 10:00 PM ET/ 7:00 PM PT
TV: ESPN+/HULU
Article Continues Below
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Predators Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Predators sit 17th in the NHL in goals per game this year sitting with 3.11 goals per game on the season. It is Filip Forsberg who leads the way for them. He comes into the game with 22 goals and 26 assists on the year, good for 48 points. All three of those marks lead the team this year. Forsberg has also been solid on the power play with three goals and 13 assists this year on the man-advantage. Joining him with solid power play work overall is Ryan O'Reilly. O'Reilly comes in with 10 of his 16 goals this year being on the power play. Further, he has 22 assists, with eight on the power play, good for 38 points.
The Predator's goal-scoring is not just a one-line attack though. Gustav Nyquist and Colton Sissons, both of whom will spend time with the second or third rotations, both come in scoring well. Nyquist has 11 goals this year with 23 assists, sitting fourth on the team in points. Meanwhile, Sissons comes in with 12 goals and nine assists, good for 21 total points. The Predators also get help from the blue line in the form of Roman Josi. Josi comes in with eight goals and 29 assists, good for 34 points on the year, while he has come up big on the power play. He has four goals and 12 assists on the power play this year.
The Predators are 18th in the NHL on the power play, with a 20.5 percent conversion rate on the year, sitting with 31 power-play goals. Meanwhile, they have struggled on the penalty kill, sitting 24th in the NHL with a 77.1 percent success rate.
Jusse Saros is expected to be in goal for the Predators in this one. He is 17-16-1 on the year with a 3.02 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. January has been hit or miss for him. He has a .894 save percentage and a 3.07 goals against average, but he has one game with one goal against and shutout, giving him a 2-3-0 record.
Why The Kings Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Kings are 14th in the NHL in goals per game this year, with 3.27 goals per game this year. Trevor Moore leads the team in goals this year with 20 of them. He also has 11 assists this year good for 31 points. That places him fourth on the team in points this year. The team leader in points this year is Anze Kopitar. Kopitar comes in with 14 goals this year and 25 assists, good for 39 points. He has been solid on the power play with six goals and eight assists this year on the power play.
Meanwhile, Adrian Kempe is second on the team in points this year. He comes in with 15 goals this year and 23 assists on the year for his 38 points. He has just two goals on the power play this year with ten assists on the power play. Kevin Fiala then sits third on the team in points this year. He has ten goals this year while leading the team in assists this year. Fiala has 27 assists on the season while being solid on the power play. He has three goals and 12 assists this year on the power play.
The power play for the Kings has been average. They have a 21.2 percent success rate this year, good for 16th in the NHL. Still, they are the best in the NHL when killing off a penalty. The Kings have an 87.2 percent success rate on the penalty kill.
Cam Talbot is expected to be in goal for the Kings for this game. Talbot is 14-11-5 on the year with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. He has been awful in January overall. Talbot has a 3.84 goals against average and a .882 save percentage this month. He has allowed three or more goals in all but one start this month, and he is 0-4-2. Talbot has not won a star in his last eight, and it was December 23rd when he last won.
Final Predators-Kings Prediction & Pick
The Predators are not a top team in the NHL, but they are a playoff-level team this year. They have Jusse Saros in goal, and he has been solid this year. Meanwhile, the Kings have been awful as of late. At some point, they have to turn it around, and they have had some close games. While losing nine of ten, two were in overtime and two were in a shootout. Still, with how Talbot is playing, the best play in this one is to take the plus odds and fade the struggling Kings. Take the road dog in this one.
Final Predators-Kings Prediction & Pick: Predators ML (+140)
