The Los Angeles Kings continue their eastern road trip as they face the Montreal Canadiens. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Kings-Canadiens prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Kings come into the game sitting as one of the best in the NHL, sitting at 15-4-3 on the year. They have won seven of their last eight games and last time out they faced the Columbus Blue Jackets. In that game, the Blue Jackets took the early lead, scoring in the first period on a Kirill Marchenko power-play goal. The Jackets would add two more in the second period, and lead going into the final frame 3-0. Phillip Danault scored just 23 seconds into the third and then would score at the 5:08 marker of the period to make it 3-2. The Kings would tie it up just 1:30 later and force overtime. In overtime, Drew Doughty scored to give the Kings the 4-3 win.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens are 11-11-3 on the year. Last time out they faced the Seattle Kraken. The Canadiens took the 1-0 lead in the first period on a Sean Monahan goal. In the second, they would add two more, including a second goal from Monahan, this time on the power play. The Kranen would get one back in the period though, scoring on a Jared McCann goal. Vince Dunn would make it a one-goal game in the third period, but Montreal would add an empty net goal and go on to win 4-2.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Kings-Canadiens Odds
Los Angeles Kings: -1.5 (+108)
Montreal Canadiens: +1.5 (-130)
Over: 6.5 (+100)
Under: 6.5 (-122)
How to Watch Kings vs. Canadiens
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: NHLPP/ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Kings Will Cover The Spread
The Kings are currently ranked second in the NHL in goals per game this year, sitting with 3.86 goals per game on the year. Trevor Moore comes into the game as the leader in goals this year, while being tied for second in points this year. He comes in with 12 goals on the season and nine assists. He has two goals and three assists on the power play while also having a shorthanded goal. Adrian Kempe is the leader in points this year. He has eight goals and 15 assists on the year for his 23 points. He also has five assists on the power play, while also having a short-handed goal this year.
Meanwhile, Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala both are tied for second on the team in points with Moore. Kopitar comes in with ten goals and 11 assists on the year, to have his 21 points. He also has three power-play goals and two assists when man-up. Kevin Fiala comes in with six goals and 15 assists this year, good for his 21 points. He has a goal and six assists on the power play this year. Meanwhile, Quinton Byfield has been solid this year as well. He is one of five guys who come into the game with six goals. He also has 12 assists on the year to give him 18 points.
On the power play, the Kings sit 18th in the NHL. They have converted on 19.2 percent of their chances this year and have 15 power-play goals. Still, on the penalty kill, they are second in the NHL, with an 88.4 percent success rate.
Cam Talbot is expected to get the start in goal for this game. On the year he is 11-4-1 with 1.96 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. Both of those marks rank in the top three in the NHL this year. Last time out he was amazing. Talbot saves 20 of 21 shots on his way to a victory over the Avalanche.
Why The Canadiens Will Cover The Spread
The Canadiens are currently 27th in the NHL in goals per game this year with just 2.80 goals per game on the season. Sean Monahan, with his two-goal performance last time out, is now the leading scorer on this team in terms of goals. He has eight goals with seven assists to give him 15 points. He also has four goals and three assists while on the power play, plus has scored twice shorthanded.
Meanwhile, Nick Suzuki leads the team in points this year. He is one of three guys with seven goals on the season, while he leads the team in assists on the year. He has seven goals and 14 assists on the season, good for 21 points. Suzuki is one of the leaders in the power play. He has four power-play goals with six assists. Cole Caufield also has seven goals on the year, with 13 assists, good for 20 points. Finally, Alex Newhook has seven goals on the year, with six assists, giving him 13 points.
The Canadiens enter the game sitting 23rd on the power play this year. They have scored 16 times, good for a 17.8 percent conversion rate. Meanwhile, they are one of the worst when man down this year. The Canadiens have a 73.4 percent success rate when man down this year.
Sam Montembeault is getting the start in goal today for the Canadiens. He is 6-3-1 on the year with a 2.66 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Both of those marks are top 15 in the NHL. He has won his last three starts, giving up just seven goals in the three games, and having a save percentage of over .925 in the last two.
Final Kings-Canadiens Prediction & Pick
Montreal is the home team here, but they have not been amazing at home this year, just 6-7-1. Meanwhile, the Kings have been perfect on the road, going 10-0-0 on the year. They are coming off a game in which they started slow, but they turned it on and overcame a large deficit to win the game. This should be a solid battle between two goalies. Sam Montembeault has been solid this year, but Cam Talbot has been one of the best in the NHL. He will be the difference in this game, combined with the power play. The Kings will get a power play goal while shutting down the Canadiens man advantage to take an easy win in this one.
Final Kings-Canadiens Prediction & Pick: Kings -1.5 (+108)
Follow Us
Subscribe
