The Washington Capitals and the Los Angeles Kings meet Thursday in NHL action from the Crypto.com Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Kings vs Capitals Prediction.
Matchup History
The Washington Capitals won the first meeting between these two teams in Washington back on December 22nd, 2024, by a final score of 3-1, pushing the Capitals’ win streak in this head-to-head matchup to three games.
Washington Capitals Recap
The Washington Capitals come into this game looking to add to their 7-4 win over Anaheim last time out to improve to 43-14-8 on the year. After this game, Washington will head on the road for a game against the San Jose Sharks.
Capitals Win 5th In A Row
Dylan Strome leads the Capitals with 64 points including 20 goals and a team-high 44 assists while Alex Ovechkin has 53 points with 33 goals and 20 assists and Connor McMichael’s added 51 points with 23 goals and 28 assists. Aliaksei Protas has 58 points with 28 goals and 30 assists while Tom Wilson has 54 points and John Carlson has 43 points with Wilson logging 29 goals and 25 assists and Carlson adding 39 assists. Pierre-Luc Dubois also has 57 points with 40 assists of his own. Jakob Chychrun has 42 points with 18 goals and 24 assists as well on the year. In goal for Washington, Logan Thompson has gone 28-4-5 with a 2.36 GAA and a .916 save percentage while Charlie Lindgren is 15-10-3 with a 2.64 GAA and an .899 save percentage this season.
Why the Washington Capitals will win
- The Capitals have won each of their last seven games as underdogs against Pacific Division opponents.
- The Kings have lost two of their last three games as favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Capitals have covered the puck line in each of their last eight road games against opponents on a winning streak.
- The Kings have failed to cover the puck line in six of their last seven games as favorites following a home win.
Washington Capitals Player Prop Facts
- Alex Ovechkin has scored at least one goal in nine of his last 10 appearances with the Capitals as underdogs.
- John Carlson has recorded at least one assist in each of the Capitals’ last six games as underdogs against Pacific Division opponents.
- Alex Ovechkin has recorded at least one point in 12 of his last 13 appearances with the Capitals as underdogs.
- Aliaksei Protas ranks 1st in the league for Plus/Minus (+39) this season.
Los Angeles Kings Recap
The Los Angeles Kings come into this game looking to add on to their 4-1 win over the New York Islanders last time out to improve to 34-20-9 on the year. After this game, the Kings will take on the Predators and Wild.
Kings Win Third Game In A Row
Anze Kopitar has 52 points including 16 goals and 36 assists while Alex Laferriere has 32 points with 15 goals. Adrian Kempe has 53 points with a team-high 27 goals and 26 assists while Kevin Fiala has 42 points with 24 goals and Warren Foegele has 36 points with 18 goals and 18 assists. Quinton Byfield also chipped in 38 points with 15 goals and 23 assists this season. Darcy Kuemper has gone 20-8-7 so far this season with a 2.29 GAA and a .915 save percentage in goal for the Kings so far this season. David Rittich is 13-12-2 with a 2.75 GAA and an .887 save percentage while Erik Portillo has a 1.02 GAA and a .966 save percentage as well on the year.
Why the Los Angeles Kings will win
- The Kings have won eight of their last nine home games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Capitals have lost three of their last four road games following a road win.
- The favorites have covered the puck line in each of the Capitals’ last three games.
Los Angeles Kings Player Prop Facts
- Quinton Byfield has scored a goal in each of the Kings’ last four games.
- Kevin Fiala has recorded an assist in five of his last six home appearances against the Capitals.
- Drew Doughty has recorded at least one point in each of his last six appearances against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- Drew Doughty ranks 1st in the Pacific Division for average time on ice (25:35) this season.
Total Goals Facts
- Each of the last six games between the Capitals and Kings at Crypto.com Arena has gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Nine of the Capitals’ last 10 night games against Pacific Division opponents have gone UNDER the total goals line.
Kings vs Capitals Prediction
I’m leaning towards the Capitals here. I’ve been a big backer of the Kings at home, so much so that I placed a futures bet on the Kings to win the division because of how back-loaded their schedule is with home games. The fact that the Kings have been so dominant at home. However, Washington is also an elite road team this season, and getting plus money with this team on the road is not something you’re going to get all that often if at all the rest of the way. The Capitals have had the upper hand in this matchup the last year plus. I think the plus money is worth a shot in this situation.