The Utah Hockey Club and the Los Angeles Kings meet Saturday 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 Hockey Club Prediction.
Matchup History
These two teams have only met once this season, in Los Angeles and it ended up as a 3-2 win for the Kings back on October 26th, 2024.
Utah Hockey Club Recap
The Utah Hockey Club come into this game looking to add on to their 5-4 win over the Washington Capitals in their last game before the break to improve to 24-23-9 on the year. After this game, the Utah Hockey Club will head home for a matchup with the Vancouver Canucks in the second half of the back-to-back.
Utah Trying To Make A Playoff Run Down The Stretch After Finishing First Half Strong
Clayton Keller leads Utah in scoring with 60 points including 20 goals and a team-high 40 assists while Dylan Guenther has 41 points with 20 goals. Logan Cooley has 43 points with 15 goals and 28 assists of his own while Nick Schmaltz has 30 assists as part of his 41 points. Mikhail Sergachev has 36 points with 26 assists while Barrett Hayton has 29 points with 12 goals and 17 assists. Connor Ingram has gone 9-7-4 with a 3.16 GAA and an .885 save percentage while Karel Vejmelka has gone 13-15-4 with a 2.57 GAA and a .909 save percentage in goal for Utah this season. Jaxson Stauber has gone 2-1-1 with a 2.23 GAA and a .925 save percentage this season as well for Utah.
Why the Utah Hockey Club will win
- The Kings have lost each of their last four games as favorites after coming off a shootout.
- Utah has won four of its last five road games after coming off overtime.
- The Kings have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last eight home games after coming off overtime.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in eight of the Kings’ last nine games at Crypto.com Arena.
Utah Hockey Club Player Prop Facts
- Clayton Keller has recorded at least one assist in each of his last seven appearances against Pacific Division opponents.
- Clayton Keller has recorded at least one point in each of his last eight road appearances against Pacific Division opponents.
- Logan Cooley has scored a goal in five of Utah’s last six games as an underdog against Pacific Division opponents.
- Mikhail Sergachev ranks 2nd in the Central Division for average time on ice (25:45) this season.
Los Angeles Kings Recap
The Los Angeles Kings come into this game looking to bounce back after ending their first half with a 2-1 shootout win over the Anaheim Ducks last time out to sit at 29-17-7 on the year. After this game, the Los Angeles Kings will welcome the Vegas Golden Knights to town for a matchup.
Kings Trying To Start Second Half On Right Foot
Anze Kopitar has 45 points including 13 goals and 32 assists while Alex Laferriere has 30 points with 14 goals. Adrian Kempe has 46 points with a team-high 25 goals and 21 assists while Brandt Clarke has 25 points with 21 assists. Kevin Fiala has 35 points with 21 goals and Warren Foegele has 28 points with 14 goals and 14 assists. Quinton Byfield also chipped in 29 points with 11 goals and 18 assists this season. Darcy Kuemper has gone 16-6-6 so far this season with a 2.19 GAA and a .919 save percentage in goal for the Kings so far this season. David Rittich is 12-11-1 with a 2.59 GAA and an .892 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 night games against Central Division opponents.
- Utah has lost each of its last four games following a road win.
- Utah has failed to cover the puck line in each of its last seven night games.
- The Kings have covered the puck line in 11 of their last 13 night games following a shootout loss.
Los Angeles Kings Player Prop Facts
- Alex Laferriere has scored at least one goal in each of the Kings’ last four games as favorites against Central Division opponents.
- Kevin Fiala has recorded at least one assist in seven of the Kings’ last eight games as home favorites against Central Division opponents.
- Anze Kopitar has recorded at least one point in each of the Kings’ last six home games against Central Division opponents.
- Alex Turcotte ranks 1st amongst rookies for Plus/Minus (+11) this season.
Total Goals Facts
- Each of Utah’s last six night games has gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Five of the Kings’ last six games against Central Division opponents have gone UNDER the total goals line.
Kings vs Hockey Club Prediction
I’m on the Los Angeles Kings in this one. It was a little bit tempting to take a shot on Utah given the fact that the road is where the Utah Hockey Club have been at their best this season, but the Los Angeles Kings have been one of the NHL’s most profitable home teams all year long and I’m really not looking to step in front of that. Los Angeles also coasted in the last game before the break but I think they come out strong and start hot here. Give me the Kings in this one.