The Los Angeles Kings are about to cap off the year with a three-game road trip that will feature a showdown with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks on Monday. But first the team will take a trip to Nashville to play the slumping Predators on Saturday night in what should be a winnable game for a Kings squad that has won nine of its last 11 games during the month of December.

The Nashville Predators are on the opposite trajectory that the Kings are on. Nashville has lost seven of its last 10 games and is sitting firmly at the bottom of the Central Division with 36 points in standings. The Predators will close out the year with two of three games at home, but they will start a back-to-back against the Dallas Stars on Friday and then face the Kings on Saturday. Let’s take a closer look at the matchup with predictions and analysis.
 
Kings at Predators Betting Story Lines

On Dec. 3 the Kings had no choice but to start rookie goaltender Martin Jones, and now, three weeks later, Los Angeles has the NHL record holder for most wins to start a career in front of the net. Jones won his first eight starts and added three shutouts in the process. The rookie goaltender allowed only six regulation goals in that span and has looked phenomenal during that first set of starts.
 
Unfortunately, Jones came back to earth a little during Los Angeles’ last outing against the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Jones gave up four goals during regulation on only 23 shots from the Stars. The night started off bad when Jones allowed two goals on the first two shots that Dallas took. The Kings moved into third place in the Western Conference playoff standings with 54 points during Jones’ historic streak.

The Predators do not have any talented rookies coming off the bench to help turn their season around. The team is nine points behind the last playoff spot in the conference and needs to begin turning things around soon if the squad plans on making a postseason push next year. Prior to Nashville’s matchup against the Stars on Friday, the team suffered a four-goal loss to the Boston Bruins on Monday night. The Predators gave up three early first-period goals and were never competitive in the matchup.

Kings at Predators NHL Betting Odds and Key Trends

Los Angeles opened up as a -147 moneyline favorite over the +134 underdog Predators at BetOnline. The total was set at five goals, with both the “over” and “under” receiving -105 odds. Los Angeles is 9-2 in its last 11 overall games and 8-2 in its last 10 road games. The team has won five of its last seven against the Western Conference and six of its last eight against teams with losing home records.

Nashville is 1-4 over its last five Saturday games and 0-4 during its last four overall games. The team has lost seven of its last nine home games and has gone under in three of its last five overall matchups. Head-to-head, Los Angeles has won five of the last seven games in Nashville.

Free NHL Picks: Kings at Predators Odds

Saturday’s game between the Kings and Predators is a matchup between squads going in opposite directions. The Predators are on a four-game losing streak, while the Kings have won nine of their last 11 games. The key to this matchup with be Los Angeles’ elite defense and the excellent goaltending of Jones. Now that the rookie goalie has already lost a game and gotten that monkey off his back, the team should be ready to start another extended winning streak. Take Los Angeles on the moneyline.

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Read more articles by George Monroy