Los Angeles Kings at Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Picks & Predictions 12/15/2018

Saturday, December 15, 2018

PPG Paints Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Los Angeles Kings travel to PPG Paints Arena to play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, December 15, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Kings at +218 and the Penguins at -265.

Los Angeles has a record of 11-20-2 this season. They are 8th in the Pacific Division. They have scored 72 goals and given up 102 goals for a point differential of -30. For the season they have an ATS record of 11-21-0 and an over/under record of 14-17-0. Pittsburgh has a record of 13-11-6 this year. They are 4th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 101 goals and surrendered 98 for a goal differential of +3. Their record against the spread is 13-17-0 while their over/under record is 13-13-0.

Valuable Los Angeles Kings Betting Trends

The Los Angeles Kings are 11-21-0 straight up this year

The Los Angeles Kings are 14-17-0 against the over/under this season

Important Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 13-17-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 13-13-0 against the over/under this season

Key Los Angeles Kings Injuries

12/14/18 D Alec Martinez None is downgraded to doubtful Saturday vs Pittsburgh
12/14/18 D Dion Phaneuf Upper Body is downgraded to doubtful Saturday vs Pittsburgh
12/13/18 LW Kyle Clifford Upper Body is questionable Saturday vs Pittsburgh
12/02/18 LW Ilya Kovalchuk Ankle is out indefinitely
11/26/18 LW Carl Hagelin Lower Body is out indefinitely
11/17/18 C Trevor Lewis Foot is out indefinitely
11/12/18 GO Jack Campbell Knee is out 4-6 weeks
10/03/18 RW Jonny Brodzinski Shoulder IR (10/03)

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

12/12/18 RW Patric Hornqvist Upper Body IR (12/12)
12/07/18 LW Dominik Simon Lower Body is out indefinitely
10/15/18 D Justin Schultz Lower Body is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Jonathan Quick has 2 wins and 8 losses this season in net for the Kings. He has 324 shots against him and he's given up 35 goals. He's made 289 saves for a save percentage of 89%. Anze Kopitar has accumulated 20 total points this season for the Kings. He has 8 goals this year with 73 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 12 assists on the season and averages 22.6 minutes played per game. Dustin Brown averages 20.8 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 9 goals on 64 shots. He has 8 assists, giving him a total of 17 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Evgeni Malkin has scored 33 total points this year for the Penguins. He has 10 goals this season with 69 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 23 assists on the season and averages 19.1 minutes played per game. Casey DeSmith has 9 wins and 5 losses this year in goal for the Penguins. He has 573 shots against him and he's surrendered 45 goals. He's made 528 saves for a save percentage of 92%. Phil Kessel averages 18.7 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 12 goals on 88 shots. He has 21 assists, giving him a total of 33 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Kings have allowed 101 power play opportunities and have given up 26 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 74% this year. That is 28th in the NHL. They average 28 shots per game and as a team shoot 7.68% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%, which is ranked 16th in the league. The Kings have 24 total points this season, ranking 31st in the NHL in offense. They are 31st in the league with 72 goals while they've given up 102 goals, which is 10th overall. They have had 95 power play opportunities and scored 13 goals on those chances for a percentage of 14%. That is 29th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Penguins are 12th with 101 goals scored while they are 12th in the NHL with 98 goals allowed this year. They average 33 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.30%. They give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%, putting them in 18th place in the league. The Penguins have a total of 32 points this year, which is 19th in the NHL. They have 19 power play goals on 84 opportunities for a percentage of 23%. That ranks their power play unit 10th. They've allowed 88 power play opportunities and have given up 15 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83%, which is 8th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Los Angeles is 21st in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.2%, as they've attempted 1,848 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,909 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 48.5% as they have 1,367 attempts while they have given up 1,452 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 23rd in the league. The Kings start possessions in the offensive zone 48.7% of the time, which is 22nd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 51.3% for the season. That is 11th overall in the NHL. They have 1,042 face-off wins compared to 990 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.3%. That ranks them 11th in the league. On defense Los Angeles has 734 hits and they have blocked 457 shots from the opposition, putting them 11th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Penguins are 21st in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 48.7% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 51.3% for the season, which is 10th in the NHL. They have 929 face-off wins compared to 914 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.4%. That is 13th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 899 hits and they have blocked 435 shots from the opposition, which is 20th in the league. Pittsburgh is 10th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51% as they've attempted 1,782 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,712 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 51.3% ranks 11th as they have 1,343 attempts while they have given up 1,277 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Kings/Penguins NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Los Angeles +218

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