NHL Betting Odds & Game Preview: Kings vs. Golden Knights

NHL Betting Odds & Game Preview: Kings vs. Golden Knights

Written by on February 27, 2018

It’s always exciting when a new franchise gets unveiled and starts to play, although the excitement usually turns to frustration in pretty short order, as it’s tough for a new team to do well against established teams. There are, every so often, exceptions to that rule, though, with the Vegas Golden Knights taking the stereotype of the struggling expansion team and flipping it on its head. There is still a lot of hockey to be played this season, but the Golden Knights have already set the record for the most points achieved by a new team. By the time this season is over, the old record will have been totally shattered, which is why they dominate the NHL betting odds week in and week out. Vegas is well on their way to becoming champions of the Pacific Division at the first time of asking, but there are a lot of good teams in that division who are still n with a shot at running them down if Vegas does stumble in the final weeks. The LA Kings are in that mix, and they will try to do the home and home double when they head into Sin City on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles at Las Vegas NHL Betting Odds & Game Preview

  • When: Tuesday, February 27 at 10:30 PM ET
  • Where: T-Mobile Arena
  • TV: FSSM
  • Radio: 570 AM (Los Angeles) / 1230 AM (Las Vegas)
  • Live Stream: NHL.tv
  • NHL Betting Odds: Las Vegas Golden Knights -1.5 (Over/Under at 6 goals)

Team Records

  • All: LA Kings 34-24-5 / Vegas Golden Knights 41-16-5
  • Home: LA Kings 15-11-3 / Vegas Golden Knights 24-5-2
  • Away: LA Kings 19-13-2 / Vegas Golden Knights 17-11-3
  • ATS: LA Kings 31-32 / Vegas Golden Knights 45-17
  • Over/Under: LA Kings 28-33-2 / Vegas Golden Knights 35-25-2

Top NHL Picks & Predictions of the Week – February 26th

Recent Head to Head

  • Record: LA Kings 1-1-1 / Vegas Golden Knights 2-0-1
  • Score: LA Kings 2.33 / Vegas Golden Knights 3.00
  • Shots: LA Kings 33.67 / Vegas Golden Knights 39.33
  • Power Play Goals: LA Kings 2 / Vegas Golden Knights 0
  • Number of Power Plays: LA Kings 6 / Vegas Golden Knights 9
  • Power Play Percentage: LA Kings 33.33 / Vegas Golden Knights 0.00
  • Penalty Kill Percentage: LA Kings 100.00 / Vegas Golden Knights 66.67

Why bet on the LA Kings?

If we are being totally honest, there is probably no way that the Kings are going to be able to catch Vegas at the top of the Pacific, as they are currently 14 points off the pace. They did reduce the margin by a single point with an OT win over the Golden Knights on Monday night, but they will be well aware that beating the same team twice on consecutive nights is no easy task, especially when you need to go on the road for that second game. The good news for the Kings is that they have actually been better on the road than they have been at home this season, going 19-13-2 in hostile territory. When the Kings are at their best, they play a stifling form of defense that has them in the top 5 in the league, and they need that given that they are not the best offensive unit out there.

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Goals: 2.86
  • Shots: 31.05
  • PP/PK Percentage: 20.33
Defense
  • Goals: 2.49
  • Shots: 31.49
  • PP/PK Percentage: 16.59

Why bet on the Vegas Golden Knights?

Even with their OT loss to the Kings on Monday night, the Vegas Golden Knights are still a solid 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. This has been a season of pleasant surprises for Vegas, but perhaps the most surprising of all is how good they have been as an offensive force, averaging 3.5 GPG, which is second best in the league. The Vegas Golden Knights come in as the NHL Betting Odds favorite. We knew they were probably going to be solid defensively, as one of their first orders of business was to pick up a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender with the acquisition of Marc-Andre Fleury from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Vegas has now played 3 games against the Kings this season and have taken 5 out of 6 possible points. They have only played LA once on home ice, coming away with a 4-2 win in that one. Overall, Vegas is 24-5-2 on home ice this season, so this is going to be a tough task for the Kings.

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Goals: 3.50
  • Shots: 32.90
  • PP/PK Percentage: 21.88
Defense
  • Goals: 2.73
  • Shots: 30.42
  • PP/PK Percentage: 20.11

Latest NHL Betting Trends

  • Kings are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games
  • Kings are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games on the road
  • The total has gone OVER in 4 of Los Angeles’s last 6 games on the road
  • Golden Knights are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games
  • Golden Knights are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 8 of Vegas’s last 12 games

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

More often than not, we see teams tend to split these back to back games, and that is what I think we will see here. I am picking the Golden Knights to get revenge in this one. Score: LA Kings 2 – Vegas Golden Knights 5