Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and the Chicago Blackhawks are set to do battle against Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, and the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center in a Western Conference showdown. NBC Sports Chicago will air the game, which gets going at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 2.
Chicago Blackhawks at Los Angeles Kings Odds
Chicago is 27-37 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. 43 of its games have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and just three have pushed. As the road team this season, the Hawks are 13-18 SU.
Chicago has converted on 22.2 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked 31st in the league, and it’s successfully killed off only 73.3 percent of its penalties..
With a .893 save percentage and 29.7 saves per game, Cam Ward (14-15-4) has been the top option in goal for Chicago this year. If Chicago decides to rest him, however, head coach Jeremy Colliton could roll with Corey Crawford (7-17-2), who has a .902 save percentage and 3.27 goals against average this year.
Los Angeles is 23-41 straight up (SU) and has lost 16.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 64 regular season matches, 32 of its games have gone under the total, while 30 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 12-18 SU at home this season.
The Kings have converted on just 14.8 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the bottom overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 30th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.3 percent of all penalties.
Jonathan Quick has stopped 26.3 shots per game as the top netminder in goal for the Kings. Quick has 11 wins, 23 losses, and six overtime losses and has registered a mediocre 3.31 goals against average and a poor .891 save percentage this year.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings Free Picks
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Kings, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Two of the Kings’ last ten games have ended in a shootout. The team is 0-2 in those games and 2-3 overall in shootouts this season.
- Chicago’s attempted 32.1 shots per game overall this season (ranked 12th in the NHL), and 36.2 in its last 10 outings.
- Over Los Angeles’ last ten outings, four of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 0-4 in those games).
- The Kings this season have registered the 11th-most hits per game in the NHL (22.9), but that average has jumped up to 27.0 over their last five games as the home team.
