Facing each other for the fourth and final time this season, the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks meet at the Honda Center. The match gets started at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, April 5, and you’ll be able to witness this cross-town matchup live on Prime Ticket.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Anaheim Ducks Odds
Anaheim (-155) is currently the favorite over Los Angeles (+135), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-135 money on the under, +115 on the over).
The Ducks are 34-47 straight up (SU) and have spited moneyline bettors to the tune of -8.4 units so far. That early-season winning percentage is a noticeable slide from what the team recorded during last year’s regular season (44-38). Through 81 regular season matches, 46 of the team’s games have gone under the total, while 31 have gone over and just four have pushed. The team is 18-22 SU at home this year.
Anaheim’s converted on just 17.1 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s ranked 25th overall in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 22nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.3 percent of all penalties.
As a team, Anaheim has been penalized 3.8 times per game overall this season, and 5.2 per game over its last five games at home. The team’s had to kill penalties for just 8.3 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, in total.
With a .916 save percentage and 28.8 saves per game, John Gibson (26 wins, 31 losses, and eight OT losses) has been the principal goalkeeper for the Ducks this season. If head coach Bob Murray decides to rest him, however, the Ducks might turn to Ryan Miller (9-11-11 record, .912 save percentage, 2.76 goals against average).
Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell will each be offensive focal points for the Ducks. Getzlaf (48 points) has produced 14 goals and 34 assists and has recorded two or more points on 15 separate occasions this year. Rakell has 18 goals and 24 assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in 31 contests.
Over on the visiting bench, Los Angeles is 30-50 straight up (SU) and has lost 15.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 80 regular season outings, 40 of its games have gone under the total, while 37 have gone over and just three have pushed. Los Angeles’ 14-26 SU as the visiting team this season.
Los Angeles has converted on just 16.0 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s ranked 27th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 29th overall and it’s successfully defended 75.9 percent of all penalties.
Los Angeles’ skaters have been penalized 3.4 times per game this season, and 4.6 per game over their last five road outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties 13.2 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Jonathan Quick (3.41 goals against average and .887 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Los Angeles. Quick is averaging 25.6 saves per game and owns a 15-30-7 record.
Anze Kopitar (21 goals, 37 assists) has been one of the primary facilitators on offense for the visiting Kings.
Los Angeles Kings at Anaheim Ducks Betting Predictions
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Kings, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in four of their last five outings.
- Penalties and power plays may be extremely important in the outcome of this game. The Kings are 10-21 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 22-36 when they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Ducks are 7-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 19-31 in games where their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Two of Los Angeles’ past 10 contests have been decided by a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 3-4 overall in shootouts this season.
- Anaheim is ranked 24th in the NHL this season with 6.9 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended upward, as the team has managed 8.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 9.4 takeaways over its last five.
- Los Angeles has created 6.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 5.2 takeaways per game (ranked 31st in the league).
- Anaheim may have an advantage if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 20-17 in games decided by one goal, while Los Angeles is 14-17 in such games.
