A couple of teams that are squarely in playoff contention, the Los Angeles Kings and the Washington Capitals face off at Capital One Arena for a cross-country matchup. The first puck will drop at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 30, and you are able to see it live on Fox Sports West.
Los Angeles Kings at Washington Capitals Odds
With a moneyline of -135, Washington enters the matchup as the favorite. The line for Los Angeles sits at +115, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -135 for the under and +115 for the over.
The Capitals are 14-11 straight up (SU) and have earned moneyline bettors 1.3 units this season. That early-season winning percentage is a noticeable slide from what the team recorded during last years regular season (55-27). Through 25 regular season contests, 13 of its games have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 8-4 SU at home this year.
Washington has converted on 20.7 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated 24th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.3 percent of all penalties.
Washington, as a collective unit, has been penalized 4.7 times per game overall this season, and 3.6 per game over its last five contests home outings. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays for just 6.8 minutes per game over its last five matchups, in total.
Averaging 29.1 saves per game with a .921 save percentage, Braden Holtby (13-5) has been the best option in goal for the Capitals this year. If head coach Barry Trotz decides to give him the night off, however, the team may turn to Philipp Grubauer (1-8-8 record, .886 save percentage, 3.49 goals against average).
Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin will each lead the charge for the Capitals. Kuznetsov (26 points) has tallied six goals and 20 assists and has recorded multiple points seven times this year. Ovechkin has 18 goals and seven assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 14 contests.
On the other bench, Los Angeles is 14-11 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 0.1 units this year. Through 25 regular season outings, 14 of its games have gone under the total, while nine have gone over and just two have pushed. As the visiting team so far, Los Angeles is 7-4 SU.
Los Angeles has converted on 17.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked first overall and it’s successfully killed off 89.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Los Angeles players have been called for penalties 4.1 times per game this season, and 3.4 per game over their last five road outings. The teams been forced to kill penalties 8.6 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Jonathan Quick (28.7 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Los Angeles. Quick has 11 wins, nine losses, and one OT loss to his credit, and has registered a .929 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Kings will be Anze Kopitar (12 goals, 16 assists) and Dustin Brown (10 goals, 11 assists).
Los Angeles Kings vs. Washington Capitals Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Kings, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- The total has gone under in three of Washington’s last five games.
- Los Angeles has attempted 32.5 shots per game overall this season (ranked 11th in the NHL), and 29.4 in its last 10 outings.
- Penalties and power plays could be critical in tonight’s matchup. The Kings are 5-6 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 9-5 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Capitals are 5-1 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 8-2 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Los Angeles is 2-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Washington is 2-0 in shootouts.
- Washington skaters have managed 6.2 takeaways per game over its last five home games, right in line with its season average of 6.4 takeaways per game (ranked 24th overall).
- Los Angeles has created 6.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 5.0 takeaways per game (ranked 30th in the NHL).
- Washington could hold an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 6-3 in games decided by one goal, while Los Angeles is 5-8 in such games.
