In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers take the ice at Rogers Place in a divisional matchup. The opening face-off takes place at 9:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 2, and you are able to catch it live on Sportsnet West.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers Odds
Edmonton (+100) is playing the role of underdog to Edmonton (-120), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-120 for the under, +100 for the over).
Los Angeles is 23-16 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 4.2 units this year. Through 39 regular season outings, 20 of its games have gone under the total, while 16 have gone over and just three have pushed. As the away team this season, the Kings are 12-8 SU.
Los Angeles has converted on just 15.9 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s ranked 24th in the NHL. Having said that, its penalty kill is ranked first overall, and it has successfully killed off a whopping 87.1 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Los Angeles has been penalized 4.1 times per game overall during the 2017-18 season, and 5.2 per game over its last five on the road. The team has had to kill penalties 11.0 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
Averaging 28.2 saves per game with a .927 save percentage, Jonathan Quick (18-13-2) has been the best option in goal for Los Angeles this season. If Los Angeles decides to rest him, however, they may roll with Darcy Kuemper (5-5-3 record, .934 save percentage, 2.11 goals against average).
Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Kings. Kopitar has 40 points on 17 goals and 23 assists, and has recorded multiple points 11 times. Brown has 13 goals and 16 assists to his name, and has notched a point in 20 games.
On the other bench, Edmonton is 17-22 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 39 regular season outings, 19 of its games have gone over the total, while another 19 have gone under and just one has pushed. This season, the team’s 8-12 SU at home.
Edmonton has converted on just 17.0 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places it in the bottom 10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 32nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 71.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Edmonton players have been whistled for penalties 3.9 times per game in total this season, and 2.4 per game over their last five home outings. The team’s had to kill penalties just 6.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cam Talbot (26.8 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for Edmonton. Talbot has 14 wins, 15 losses, and two OT losses to his credit and has maintained a pedestrian 3.01 goals against average and a fairly-weak .905 save percentage this year.
Connor McDavid (14 goals, 31 assists) will pace the attack for the Oilers.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Oilers, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
The total has gone under in three of Edmonton’s last five outings.
Los Angeles has managed 30.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Edmonton is averaging 35.8 shots per game over its last five at home.
The Kings are 10-8 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Oilers are 7-13 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
Edmonton is ranked 11th overall with 8.1 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down, however, as the team has managed 7.0 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.4 takeaways over its last five.
Los Angeles skaters have forced 5.6 takeaways per game over its last five road games, its season average of 5.1 takeaways per game (ranked 32nd overall).
