A couple of the least-penalized teams in the league, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Los Angeles Kings collide at the Staples Center. This East-West matchup will get underway at 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 12 and it will be showcased live on Fox Sports West.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Los Angeles Kings Odds
Pittsburgh (-160) is the favorite over Los Angeles (+140) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -105 money on the over and -115 for the under.
Pittsburgh is 25-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. 19 of its outings have gone over the total, while another 19 have gone under and just five have pushed. The Pens are 12-9 SU on the road in 2018-19.
Pittsburgh has converted on 25.8 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for sixth-best in the league. On the other hand, it has the third-best penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off 84.4 percent of all penalties.
Pittsburgh, as a collective unit, has been sent to the penalty box just 3.3 times per game during the 2018-19 season, and 2.6 per game over its last five on the road. The team’s had to kill penalties just 6.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 27.1 saves per game with a .924 save percentage, Casey DeSmith (12-14-4) has been the top option in goal for Pittsburgh this year. If head coach Mike Sullivan decides to rest him, however, Pittsburgh may go with Matt Murray (13-7-1), who has a .914 save percentage and 2.85 goals against average this year.
Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Penguins. Crosby (54 points) has tallied 20 goals and 34 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 19 different games. Kessel has 18 goals and 32 assists to his creditand has logged at least one point in 28 games.
Los Angeles is 17-28 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 45 regular season outings, 27 of its games have gone under the total, while 17 have gone over and just one has pushed. This year, the team is 10-14 SU at home.
Los Angeles has converted on just 14.6 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that places it in the bottom 5 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 32nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 73.5 percent of all opponent power plays.
The Kings have been penalized only 3.3 times per game this season, 3.6 per game over their past five contests total, and 3.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to defend opponent power plays just 6.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jonathan Quick (25.9 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for Los Angeles. Quick has seven wins, 13 losses, and two overtime losses to his credit and has registered a poor .901 save percentage and 2.89 goals against average this season.
The Kings offense will be led by Anze Kopitar (11 goals, 18 assists).
Pittsburgh Penguins at Los Angeles Kings Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- The under has hit in four of Los Angeles’ last five games.
- The Kings are 7-10 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 13-21 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Los Angeles is ranked 32nd in the league with 4.6 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended upward lately, as the team has averaged 6.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.6 takeaways over its last five.
- Pittsburgh has created 9.8 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 8.5 takeaways per game (ranked 10th overall).
