Los Angeles Kings Vs New York Rangers Free Pick

Maintaining a solid winning record over the course of a long, grueling season is one of the toughest things to do in sports, and it is particularly tough in the NHL. The 82 game season is a grind, and tams that start well don’t always finish that way. The New York Rangers can be placed in that category, as they have fallen off after a great start. They will have another tough one on their hands on Friday, February 12 when they welcome the LA Kings into MSG. Keep checking with us for the latest NHL Online Betting Lines.

Los Angeles Kings vs New York Rangers Free Pick

When: Friday, February 12, 7 PM EST Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York TV: Fox Sports West Radio: 98.7 FM ESPN New York Stream Option: MSG Networks Opening NHL Odds: TBA

First-place Kings place Christian Ehrhoff on waivers https://t.co/DtKgRKARum

— ESPN NHL coverage (@ESPN_NHL) February 10, 2016

When you get two teams that are this evenly matched, the bookies generally err in favor of the home team when putting the odds together. This one is a little tougher, simply because the Kings are one of the best road teams in the league. This is going to be a fun one to bet on, as there is a definite case to be made for both teams.

Why bet on the LA Kings

As I briefly mentioned a moment ago, this Kings (32-17-3) team has been absolutely fantastic on the road, particularly of late. They have a 17-7-2 road record, and have racked up 18 goals in their last 3 games away from home. If there is a shadow of doubt cast over this one, it is that this will be the second game in consecutive nights on the road for the Kings, as they will be facing the Islanders on Thursday night. You have to go back to the middle of December to find the last time the Kings played road games on consecutive nights, and they ended up losing the second of the two games that time around. The way the Kings are scoring right now may mean a different outcome here, though. LA are averaging 2.8 goals per game, and are giving up just 2.3 GPG, good for 5th in the league.

Why bet on the New York Rangers

The Capitals have taken over the Metropolitan Division, and have done so at the expense of every other team in there. The Rangers (31-18-5) got off to a flying start this season, but hit a bit of a rough patch that allowed the Caps to start pulling away in the division. Things have been better of late for the Broadway Blueshirts, though, as they have put together a solid 7-3-0 record in their last 10 games. That has helped them take the second spot in the Metropolitan, but it’s not a really comfortable placing, as the Islanders and Penguins are both right there breathing down their necks. The Rangers have been solid at MSG all year, and have a 20-5-2 record on home ice. They are averaging 2.8 GPG, and are giving up 2.5 GPG.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

This is a very tough one to pick, and I realistically believe that the OVER may be the best bet here. If I am forced to pick a straight up winner, I would take the Kings, although I think they may need OT to get the win.

LA Kings 4 New York Rangers 3