Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks NHL Picks & Predictions 12/22/2018

Saturday, December 22, 2018

SAP Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Los Angeles Kings travel to SAP Center to play the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, December 22, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Kings at +230 and the Sharks at -315.

Los Angeles has a record of 12-20-3 this season. They are 8th in the Pacific Division. They've scored 79 goals and given up 107 goals for a point differential of -28. For the season they have an ATS record of 12-23-0 and an over/under record of 15-19-0. San Jose is 19-12-5 this season. They are 2nd in the Pacific Division. They have scored 119 goals and surrendered 108 for a goal differential of +11. Their record against the spread is 19-16-0 while their over/under record is 20-15-0.

Valuable Los Angeles Kings Betting Trends

The Los Angeles Kings are 12-23-0 straight up this year

The Los Angeles Kings are 15-19-0 against the over/under this season

Important San Jose Sharks Betting Trends

The San Jose Sharks are 19-16-0 straight up this year

The San Jose Sharks are 20-15-0 against the over/under this season

Key Los Angeles Kings Injuries

12/20/18 D Alec Martinez Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs San Jose
12/20/18 LW Ilya Kovalchuk Ankle is probable Saturday vs San Jose
12/20/18 LW Kyle Clifford Upper Body is questionable Saturday vs San Jose
12/15/18 D Dion Phaneuf Upper Body 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 San Jose Sharks Injuries

No key injuries to report

Player Spotlight

Dustin Brown has accumulated 18 total points this season for the Kings. He has 9 goals this year with 71 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 13%. He has a total of 9 assists on the season and averages 20.9 minutes played per game. Anze Kopitar averages 22.7 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 8 goals on 77 shots. He has 14 assists, giving him a total of 22 points on the season. Jonathan Quick has 3 wins and 8 losses this season in net for the Kings. He has 388 shots against him and he's given up 40 goals. He's made 348 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Player Spotlight

Logan Couture has scored 36 total points this year for the Sharks. He has 13 goals this season with 95 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 23 assists on the season and averages 18.9 minutes played per game. Brent Burns averages 23.6 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 3% by scoring 4 goals on 116 shots. He has 30 assists, giving him a total of 34 points on the season. Martin Jones has 14 wins and 8 losses this year in goal for the Sharks. He has 708 shots against him and he's surrendered 72 goals. He's made 636 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Kings have 27 total points this season, which ranks them 31st in the NHL. They are 31st in the league in goals scored with 79 while they've given up 107 goals, ranking them 14th overall. They have had 101 power play opportunities and have scored 14 goals on those chances for a percentage of 14%. That is 28th in the NHL. The Kings have allowed 107 power play opportunities and have given up 27 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 75%, putting them 29th in the league when short-handed. They average 29 shots per game and as a team shoot 7.82% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%. That puts them 17th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sharks are 10th in the NHL with a total of 43 points this year. They have 26 power play goals on 107 opportunities for a percentage of 24%. That ranks them 8th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 98 power play opportunities and have given up 14 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 86%. That is 3rd in the NHL. As a team, the Sharks are 7th in the league with 119 goals scored while they've given up 108 goals, which is 11th overall. They average 35 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.47%. As a team they give up 28 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 26th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Los Angeles is 21st in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.2%, as they've attempted 1,959 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,020 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 48.7% as they have 1,456 attempts while they have given up 1,534 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 22nd in the league. The Kings start possessions in the offensive zone 48.8% of the time, which is 21st in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 51.2% for the season. That is 11th overall in the NHL. They have 1,096 face-off wins compared to 1,041 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.3%. That ranks them 10th in the league. On defense Los Angeles has 780 hits and they have blocked 486 shots from the opposition, putting them 18th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sharks are 7th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 54.4% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 45.6% for the season, which is 27th in the NHL. They have 1,080 face-off wins compared to 1,075 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.1%. That is 15th in the league. On defense San Jose has 626 hits and they have blocked 481 shots from the opposition, which is 21st in the league. San Jose is 2nd in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 55.3% as they've attempted 2,360 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,910 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 55.5% ranks 2nd as they have 1,781 attempts while they have given up 1,429 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Los Angeles +230

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