Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche will face each other in one of the most exciting NHL matches on Tuesday evening. The home side wants to stay comfortable in the top four and secure a place in the playoffs. The visitors have been pretty inconsistent recently, and they look forward to stabilizing their game.
Los Angeles still hopes to climb to the pole position in its division, but the hosts’ primary goal is to enter the postseason. They are on the right track and just need to ensure they stay on it. On the other hand, Colorado tops its division, but the away side hasn’t been very confident recently. They will search for a positive result against a strong opponent to boost their confidence.
Los Angeles Kings – Can they stun the best team in the Western Conference?
The Kings can be happy with their current campaign since they are second in the Pacific Division with a 33-20-8 record. They are nine points ahead of the Canucks, who lost twice in a row. However, Los Angeles shouldn’t get complacent side their form has been shaky over the past few games. Nevertheless, they head to this one after beating the Panthers on the home ice after the shootout. Jonathan Quick led them to the victory with a .938 save percentage, stopping 30 opponents’ shots.
Anze Kopitar has been the most dominant player in the Kings’ offense with 51 points, being at the same time the best assistant with 36. However, he needs more support in the final third since Viktor Arvidsson is the next in the charts with 38 points. Adrian Kempe leads the scorers’ list with 25 goals while producing a total of 36 points, the same as Trevor Moore. Phillip Danault has contributed with 35 pts, while two other skaters managed to chip in with 30 or more points. On the goal, Jonathan Quick has been the first choice for the Kings on 34 occasions, having a .908 save percentage and allowing 2.69 goals per contest.
Expected Line-Up: Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty, Tobias Bjornfot, Adrian Kempe, Anze Kopitar, Phillip Danault
with best odds
Colorado Avalanche – Will they break the losing run on the road?
The Avalanche are the most dominant team in the Western Conference, and they sit on the top of the Central Division with a 42-13-5 record. However, the visitors have been running hot and cold lately, winning only two times on the previous six occasions. Nevertheless, they are comfortable on the pole position, being 13 points ahead of the Blues. Colorado heads to this game after beating the Calgary Flames led by fantastic Darcy Kuemper, who saved all 46 Calgary’s shots. On the other hand, Nathan MacKinnon was pretty productive in the offense by scoring a brace.
Nazem Kadri has contributed the most to the Avs’ offense with a total of 73 points, including a team-high 51 assists. Mikko Rantanen has produced 65 points, while Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon are another two skaters that have crossed the 60-point mark. Gabriel Landeskog tops the scoring charts with 30 goals, having a total of 59 points, while two other players chipped in with 44+ points. Regarding the goaltending, Darcy Kuemper has been the first choice for Colorado, averaging 2.47 goals per contest and having a .922 save percentage.
Expected Line-Up: Darcy Kuemper, Erik Johnson, Cale Makar, Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, Mikko Rantanen
Expert Pick #1 – Colorado Avalanche -1.5 @+120
Although they are coming from a cold week, the Avs are favorites on the road in this clash. They look forward to getting back on the winning track, while the Kings will have certain selection issues. Therefore, I’ll take Colorado on the puck line market and the plus money odds as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 6 @+100
We didn’t have the opportunity to see many goals in these two sides’ latest matches, and this one might follow the same pattern. The Under cashed four times in the last five games for Los Angeles, while the previous two Avs’ games stayed under the margin. Give me the Under as the second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Kings Under 2.5 @-115
The Avalanche defense has been pretty tight in their latest game, despite allowing their rivals more than 40 shots. They might hold off the Kings to two goals at most, and that’s going to be my third pick for this matchup.
