Los Angeles Kings at Vegas Golden Knights NHL Picks & Predictions 12/23/2018

Sunday, December 23, 2018

T-Mobile Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Los Angeles Kings travel to T-Mobile Arena to play the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, December 23, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Kings at +165 and the Golden Knights at -200.

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. Vegas is 20-15-2 this season. They are 4th in the Pacific Division. They have scored 111 goals and surrendered 104 for a goal differential of +7. Their record against the spread is 20-17-0 while their over/under record is 17-18-0.

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 Vegas Golden Knights Betting Trends

The Vegas Golden Knights are 20-17-0 straight up this year

The Vegas Golden Knights are 17-18-0 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 Vegas Golden Knights Injuries

12/20/18 D Colin Miller Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Montreal
12/19/18 LW Max Pacioretty Lower Body IR (12/19)
11/07/18 LW Erik Haula Knee is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Anze Kopitar has accumulated 22 total points this season for the Kings. He has 8 goals this year with 77 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 10%. He has a total of 14 assists on the season and averages 22.7 minutes played per game. Dustin Brown averages 20.9 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 9 goals on 71 shots. He has 9 assists, giving him a total of 18 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

William Karlsson has scored 27 total points this year for the Golden Knights. He has 14 goals this season with 78 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 18%. He has a total of 13 assists on the season and averages 19.3 minutes played per game. Jon Marchessault averages 19.1 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 9% by scoring 12 goals on 134 shots. He has 15 assists, giving him a total of 27 points on the season. Marc-Andre Fleury has 20 wins and 10 losses this year in goal for the Golden Knights. He has 871 shots against him and he's surrendered 81 goals. He's made 790 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

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 Golden Knights are 12th in the NHL with a total of 42 points this year. They have 25 power play goals on 117 opportunities for a percentage of 21%. That ranks them 13th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 109 power play opportunities and have given up 18 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83%. That is 5th in the NHL. As a team, the Golden Knights are 12th in the league with 111 goals scored while they've given up 104 goals, which is 19th overall. They average 33 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.20%. As a team they give up 28 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 20th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Los Angeles is 20th 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 23rd in the league. The Kings start possessions in the offensive zone 48.8% of the time, which is 22nd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 51.2% for the season. That is 10th 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 17th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Golden Knights are 6th 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 26th in the NHL. They have 1,064 face-off wins compared to 1,147 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.1%. That is 23rd in the league. On defense Vegas has 999 hits and they have blocked 483 shots from the opposition, which is 20th in the league. Vegas is 3rd in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 54.9% as they've attempted 2,335 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,920 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 54.1% ranks 3rd as they have 1,695 attempts while they have given up 1,437 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Los Angeles +165

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