Two teams that’ve positioned themselves squarely in the playoff hunt, the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Islanders take the ice at the Barclays Center for an East-West showdown. Fox Sports West will broadcast the game, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 16.
Los Angeles Kings at New York Islanders Odds
Los Angeles is 20-13 straight up (SU) and has earned 5.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 33 regular season matches, 17 of its games have gone under the total, while 13 have gone over and just two have pushed. This 2017-18 Kings team is 10-6 SU on the road.
Los Angeles has converted on just 16.0 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s ranked 27th in the NHL. Having said that, it has the third-best penalty kill in the league, and the teams successfully killed off 87.0 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Kings have been whistled for penalties 3.9 times per game this season, and 3.0 per game over its past five games. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 8.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 27.7 saves per game with a .924 save percentage, Jonathan Quick (15-11-1) has been the top option in goal for Los Angeles this season. Quick did just play last night, however, so the team might decide to rest him and turn to Darcy Kuemper instead (5-4-2 record, .941 save percentage, 1.88 goals against average).
The visiting Kings have relied heavily on Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown this year. Kopitar has 38 points on 16 goals and 22 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 11 different games. Brown has 12 goals and 14 assists to his credit, and has logged at least one point in 17 games.
On the other side of the rink, New York is 17-15 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 1.9 units this year. Through 32 regular season matches, 21 of its games have gone over the total, while 10 have gone under and just one has pushed. It’s 9-4 SU as the home team this season.
The Islanders have converted on just 20.2 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 31st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 73.2 percent of all penalties.
Islanders skaters have been sent to the penalty box only 3.5 times per game in total this season, and 2.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to kill penalties just 7.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jaroslav Halak has denied 26.1 shots per game as the primary option in goal for the Islanders. Halak has nine wins, 10 losses, and one overtime loss to his name and has recorded a poor .905 save percentage and 2.97 goals against average this year.
Josh Bailey (eight goals, 30 assists) will pace the attack for NY.
Los Angeles Kings at New York Islanders Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Los Angeles is 2-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while New York is 2-1 in shootouts.
- The total has gone over in three of New York’s last five games.
- Los Angeles has managed 26.2 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while New York is averaging 35.0 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Seven of Los Angeles last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 5-2 in those games.
- Los Angeles skaters have accounted for the fourth-most hits in the league (24.8 per game).
