Kings Closing in on NHL Playoffs as Kraken Visit
Kraken vs Kings Lines: Los Angeles 27-45-2 Against Over/Under
As the NHL regular season winds down, the Seattle Kraken have no room for error. A recent eight-game losing streak crippled Seattle to the point where it needs to win out to have a shot at the playoffs.
Next up is a trip to face the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena.
Los Angeles opened as -1.5 favorite (+138) on the puck line and -180 on the moneyline, with Seattle +1.5 (-166) on the spread and +150 to win outright. Meanwhile, the projected total is 5.5, with an edge to the over at -120. Bettors can get the under at even odds.
What can bettors expect? Read on as we break down both teams and assess the Kraken vs Kings lines in our NHL game preview.
Seattle Kraken vs Los Angeles Kings 
Records: Seattle Kraken (31-30-13), Los Angeles Kings (38-25-11)
Day/Time:
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
Streaming: TNT
Betting Trends
The Los Angeles Kings are 33-40 against the puck line, including 14-21 at home. Most of the Kings’ games have trended toward the under, as they are 28-43-3 on the totals. Meanwhile, the Seattle Kraken are 41-33 ATS, including 22-13 away from home. As for the over/under, the Kraken are 33-39-2.
Remember these betting trends when assessing the Kraken vs Kings lines.
Playoffs, Here We Come?
Los Angeles is clinging to the last playoff spot in the Western Conference with eight regular-season games remaining. At 38-25-11, the Kings (87 points) have a three-point lead on St. Louis for the No. 8 seed in the NHL standings.
The Kings have dropped three straight games, including a 4-3 loss to Winnipeg on Monday. They have allowed 12 goals during this span, prompting concerns about their viability as a contender.
While the Kings are -4000 to make the playoffs, oddsmakers don’t see them going far. In fact, the Kings are just +1100 to win the West and +2500 to win the Stanley Cup, one of 13 teams with 25/1 title odds or longer.
Despite the Kings’ recent goaltending issues, they rank fourth in the NHL in goals against average (2.65) and fifth in save percentage (.908). Meanwhile, their seven shutouts are tied for second.
As such, the Kings have gone under the total in 43 of their 74 games, matching the highest rate (58.1%) in the NHL. Keep that in mind when analyzing the Kraken vs Kings lines.
Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe, and Kevin Fiala are all tied for the team lead with 66 points. Kopitar (26 goals) is the most prolific goal-scorer of the trio. As a team, the Kings are tied for 16th in scoring at 3.09 goals per game.
Too Little, Too Late for Kraken
With eight games left, the Kraken are on the outside looking in for the playoffs. At 31-30-13 (75 points), the Kraken are 12 points behind Los Angeles for the eighth seed, meaning they’ll likely need to win out to have a hope of qualifying. And even that might not be enough.
As such, Seattle’sodds to win the Stanley Cup have plummeted to +25000. In essence, the Kraken are the biggest long shots on the board.
The Kraken have won three of their last four games since an eight-game losing streak. That includes a 4-2 victory over San Jose on Monday.
With Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer, goaltending hasn’t been an issue for Seattle. The Kraken rank ninth in both goals against average (2.88) and save percentage (.904). They are also tied for fourth in the NHL with four shutouts.
Despite the Kraken’s struggles, they have performed relatively well for bettors. They are 41-33 against the puck line, including 22-13 on the road.
Jared McCann is the team’s top scorer, recording 28 goals and 59 points. Oliver Bjorkstrand (52 points) has also factored prominently.
Handicapping the Game
This is the last of three regular-season meetings between the teams. Los Angeles won 3-2 in a shootout on December 16, while Seattle edged the rematch 2-1 on December 20.
The Kings have struggled lately, but the bigger picture tells us not to overreact to small sample sizes. Cam Talbot has enjoyed a strong season, recording a 2.48 goals against average and a .915 save percentage.
Los Angeles is just 17-11-7 at home, but it has played better at Crypto.com Arena in recent weeks (5-1 over its last six games).
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