Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins will face each other in the NHL 2021-22 action on Monday evening. The hosts are in excellent form, and they want to continue in the same fashion. The away side has also played very well recently, and they will search for another victory on the road.
Los Angeles is still competitive in the race for the division top spot, and the home side will try to secure the pole position. If they continue the run, the Kings will secure their place in the playoffs. On the other hand, Boston raised the level of its performances and is comfortable in the top-four zone. A recent streak of victories boosted their confidence, and the visitors want to keep up where they left off.
Los Angeles Kings – Can they win again?
The Kings enjoy an excellent five-game winning streak that lifted them to 2nd place in the Pacific Division. They are at a 29-17-7 record, being just two points behind the top-placed Flames. However, Los Angeles should keep its consistency since the Oilers, who are just below the playoffs zone, are four points behind. The Kings returned to the home ice last time, celebrating a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders. Cal Petersen was excellent between the pipes, having a .929 save percentage, while many players contributed a lot in the offense.
Anze Kopitar leads the Kings’ offense with 50 points, including a team-high 35 assists. Adrian Kempe is the most productive player among the skaters that reached a 30-point margin with 36, being the team’s top scorer with 25 goals. Viktor Arvidsson has 35 points, Drew Doughty, Phillip Danault, and Trevor Moore produced 30 points each, while two other players contributed with 20 or more points. On the goal, Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen enjoyed most of the action, allowing 2.66 goals per contest and having a .910 save percentage.
Expected Line-Up: Jonathan Quick, Matt Roy, Tobias Bjornfot, Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Viktor Arvidsson
with best odds
Boston Bruins – Will they book another road victory?
The Bruins are in a similar form as their upcoming rivals, booking four wins in a row. Although they are fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 31-17-4 record, the visitors are 14 points ahead of the Red Wings. Boston is on the right track to the post-season, and they can only establish themselves in the playoffs zone with a run of good displays. In the most recent one, they were better than the Sharks on the away ice. The Bruins held their rivals to only 16 shots, which resulted in a 3-1 victory.
Brad Marchand has contributed the most to the Bruins’ offense with 52 points, being the team’s best assistant with 29. David Pastrnak has one point less, and he tops Boston’s scoring charts with 28 goals. Patrice Bergeron has produced 38 points, Taylor Hall contributed with 37, while Charlie McAvoy has chipped in with 32 points. On the other hand, Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman split their time between the pipes, having a .912 save percentage and allowing 2.69 goals per contest.
Expected Line-Up: Linus Ullmark, Derek Forbort, Charlie McAvoy, Taylor Hall, Charlie Coyle, David Pastrnak
Expert Pick #1 – Bruins to win (Inc. OT and Pen.) @-125
Both teams are in a very good momentum, but I believe the visitors are closer to the victory. Boston is a more trustworthy side, while the odds are pretty good for backing them. Therefore, I’m going to select them as the first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 5.5 @-115
The Bruins have been involved in low-scoring matches on the road lately, and this one shouldn’t be much different. Five of their last six games on the road stayed under the margin, and in this one, I don’t expect to see more than five goals in total. That’s going to be my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Kings Under 2.5 @-110
Boston’s defense has been very solid recently, which they showed in the most recent match. They allowed more than two goals only once in the previous six outings, while the Kings didn’t score three or more goals against the Bruins five times in a row. I’ll back the Bruins’ defense as the third pick.
