Los Angeles Kings at Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Picks & Predictions 2/15/2018

Thursday, February 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 Thursday, February 15, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Kings at +171 and the Penguins at -190.

Los Angeles has a record of 30-21-5 this season and on the road they have a record of 16-12-2-0. They are 4th in the Pacific Division. They've scored 162 goals and given up 140 goals for a point differential of +22. For the season they have an ATS record of 30-26-0 and an over/under record of 25-28-0. Pittsburgh has a record of 32-22-4 including 21-7-1-0 at home this season. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 182 goals and surrendered 174 for a goal differential of +8. Their record against the spread is 32-26-0 while their over/under record is 30-26-0.

Valuable Los Angeles Kings Betting Trends

The Los Angeles Kings are 30-26-0 straight up this year

The Los Angeles Kings are 25-28-0 against the over/under this season

Important Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 32-26-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 30-26-0 against the over/under this season

Key Los Angeles Kings Injuries

10/19/17 C Jeff Carter Ankle IR (10/18)
02/13/18 RW Dustin Brown Suspension Served is probable Thursday vs Los Angeles
02/12/18 C Trevor Lewis Upper Body IR (02/09)

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

02/13/18 D Matt Hunwick Upper Body is "?" Thursday vs Los Angeles
02/09/18 RW Patric Hornqvist Lower Body IR (02/02)
02/09/18 RW Tom Kuhnhackl Lower Body IR (02/07)
02/06/18 D Chad Ruhwedel Upper Body is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Jonathan Quick has 21 wins and 20 losses this season in net for the Kings. He has 1,268 shots against him and he's given up 103 goals. He's made 1,165 saves for a save percentage of 92%. Anze Kopitar has accumulated 61 total points this season for the Kings. He has 23 goals this year with 130 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 18%. He has a total of 38 assists on the season and averages 21.9 minutes played per game. Dustin Brown averages 19.3 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 11% by scoring 16 goals on 140 shots. He has 22 assists, giving him a total of 38 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Phil Kessel has scored 66 total points this year for the Penguins. He has 24 goals this season with 199 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 42 assists on the season and averages 18.7 minutes played per game. Matt Murray has 20 wins and 12 losses this year in goal for the Penguins. He has 1,050 shots against him and he's surrendered 99 goals. He's made 951 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Sidney Crosby averages 20.8 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 19 goals on 165 shots. He has 46 assists, giving him a total of 65 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Kings have allowed 193 power play opportunities and have given up 32 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83% this year. That is 4th in the NHL. They average 31 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.39% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 92%, which is ranked 2nd in the league. The Kings has 65 total points this season, ranking 16th in the NHL in offense. They are 18th in the league with 162 goals while they've given up 140 goals, which is 30th overall. They have had 160 power play opportunities and scored 31 goals on those chances for a percentage of 19%. That is 20th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Penguins are 7th with 182 goals scored while they are 9th in the NHL with 174 goals allowed this year. They average 34 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.21%. They give up 31 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%, putting them in 23rd place in the league. The Penguins have a total of 68 points this year, which is 11th in the NHL. They have 52 power play goals on 195 opportunities for a percentage of 27%. That ranks their power play unit 1st. They've allowed 197 power play opportunities and have given up 34 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83%, which is 7th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Los Angeles is 15th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.8%, as they've attempted 3,253 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,284 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 49.3% as they have 2,416 attempts while they have given up 2,485 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 21st in the league. The Kings start possessions in the offensive zone 50.5% of the time, which is 13th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 49.5% for the season. That is 13th overall in the NHL. They have 1,658 face-off wins compared to 1,712 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.2%. That ranks them 21st in the league. On defense Los Angeles has 1,398 hits and they have blocked 799 shots from the opposition, putting them 22nd overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 51.8% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 48.2% for the year. That ranks them 12th and 21st respectively in the NHL. They have 1,828 face-off wins as opposed to 1,799 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.4%. That is 15th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,427 hits and they've blocked 854 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 13th in blocked shots. Pittsburgh is ranked 6th in Corsi percentage with 51.5% as they've tried 3,507 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 3,300 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 8th in the NHL at 52.3%, as they have 2,678 shots while they've given up 2,446 attempts on defense.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Pittsburgh -190

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