Los Angeles Kings vs Anaheim Ducks Prediction: Can the Kings Win Four in a Row on the Road?
Los Angeles Kings vs Anaheim Ducks Prediction: Can the Kings Win Four in a Row on the Road?
NHL Friday: Kings ML -105 (Bet $105 to Win $100)
What's better than a late-night Friday hockey match between rivals? The Los Angeles Kings travel to Anaheim to take on the Ducks. But this is no Disney movie. These teams don't like each other and they are actually playing for a lot right now, if Anaheim wins they would tie LA for third in points. Quietly, LA has been one of the hottest teams in the NHL as they have won their first three on the road and are trying to go 4-0 on the road trip. They are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games and actually 9-1 the last 10 versus teams who are under 500. So they are beating who they need to beat to get into the playoffs.
What is it that LA is doing to win lately? Well, would you believe the Kings are third in shots per game and defensively they are first in giving up only 28 shots per game? With two good goalies having to stop fewer shots this makes it easier for them to do their job, and tonight, that job is Jonathan Quick's to do. These teams have only played once this season and the Kings scored three goals in eight minutes in the third period to send it to a shootout. They lost but they never gave up even though they were down three goals in the third period. Anze Kopitar leads the team and his line has been on fire, and in hockey, when you are hot, it doesn't matter who you are playing.
Bet $1, Get $150 on the Kings vs Ducks
The Ducks are nothing great to talk about on the defensive side as they are giving up over 33 shots a game, putting them at 26th in the league -- they are also giving up 3 goals a game. But in the month of February, it has gotten even worse, in 6 of their last 10 games the opposing team has scored four or more goals, including two games with six or more. They are a great over-team because of their awful defense having gone over five in a row and 9 out of 11. Tonight's goalie, Josh Gibson, has ceded 21 goals in his last four games, which is why in the whole month of February the Ducks are giving up almost five goals a game. The last four wins the Ducks have are against teams all under .500, because if you are playing shoddy defense, it's hard to win games in this league.
The Ducks have been awful at stopping power play goals recently as they gave up five in the last four games. The Kings are taking seven more shots on goal then they are surrendering while the Ducks are 23rd at SOG and 26th defensively, so they give up three more than they take. The Kings have scored three or more goals in eight of the last nine games, which is why they are 6-1 over their last seven games as well.
With the Kings going for a perfect road trip and scoring very well lately going against a team that is playing awful on defense we see only one thing happening tonight and that is the Kings taking a lot more shots and scoring more goals than the Ducks. We feel confident in the Kings scoring 3-4 goals tonight and that should be enough to get us the win. We are laying -105 on the road with the Kings to beat the not-so-Mighty Ducks in Anaheim tonight.
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