Los Angeles Kings vs. New Jersey Devils Free Preview

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The Prudential Center is playing host a cross-country showdown as the New Jersey Devils square off against the visiting Los Angeles Kings. Fox Sports West will broadcast the game, and the puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 12.

Los Angeles Kings vs. New Jersey Devils Odds

With a -135 moneyline, Los Angeles heads into the game as the favorite. The line for New Jersey sits at +115, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -140 for the under and +120 for the over. Los Angeles is 20-11 straight up (SU) and has netted 7.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. 17 of its outings have gone under the total, while 12 have gone over and just two have pushed. The Kings are 10-4 SU as the road team in 2017-18. Los Angeles has converted on just 16.7 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s ranked 26th in the NHL. Having said that, it has the second-strongest penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off a whopping 88.3 percent of its penalties. For the team as a whole, the Kings have been penalized 3.9 times per game overall this season, 3.6 per game over its last five outings total, and 3.6 per game over its last five games as the visiting team. The teams had to kill penalties just 8.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings. Sporting a .930 save percentage and 28.2 saves per game, Jonathan Quick (15-9-1) has been the primary option in goal for Los Angeles this year. If head coach John Stevens decides to rest him, however, Los Angeles might roll with Darcy Kuemper (5-4-2), who has a .941 save percentage and 1.88 goals against average this year. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown will both lead the way for the visiting Kings. Kopitar has 38 points on 16 goals and 22 assists, and has recorded multiple points 10 times. Brown has 12 goals and 14 assists to his credit (and has logged at least one point in 17 games). New Jersey is 16-13 straight up (SU) and has netted 6.6 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 29 regular season matches, 15 of its games have gone over the total, while 13 have gone under and just one has pushed. It’s 6-7 SU at home this season. The Devils have converted on just 19.8 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 11th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.2 percent of all opponent power plays. Devils players have been penalized 4.1 times per game in total this season, 3.6 per game over their past five games total, and 4.0 per game over their last five at home. The teams had to stave off opponent power plays just 8.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings. Cory Schneider (30.3 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for the Devils. Schneider has 12 wins, nine losses, and three overtime losses and has recorded a pedestrian 2.72 goals against average and a .919 save percentage this season. The Devils will be led on offense by Taylor Hall (nine goals, 20 assists).

Los Angeles Kings vs. New Jersey Devils Betting Predictions

Predictions: SU Winner – Devils, O/U – Over

Betting Notes

  • A majority (65.0 percent) of Los Angeles wins have come by two or more goals, and the team is 13-3 overall in such games. 6 of New Jersey’s wins (37.5 percent) have been decided by two or more goals.
  • Los Angeles has averaged 3.8 goals per game while giving up just 1.6 over the teams eight-game winning streak.
  • The Devils are 4-6 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 6-8 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, total.
  • Los Angeles is 2-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while New Jersey is 2-2 in shootouts.
  • The total has gone under in three of Los Angeles last five games.
  • New Jersey is ranked 8th this season with 7.9 giveaways per game. That figure has trended lower lately, however, as the teams averaged 6.2 giveaways over its last 10 games and 6.8 giveaways over its last five.
  • Los Angeles skaters have averaged 4.0 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 11.2 giveaways per game (ranked 24th in the league).
  • Los Angeles skaters have given out the fifth-most hits in the league (24.2 per game).