The Los Angeles Kings will try to inch closer to wrapping up a spot in the Stanley Cup playoff when they travel down Interstate 5 to play the Anaheim Ducks.
Kings vs. Ducks, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN
Puck line:
Total: Over 5.5 (-120), Under 5.5 (+100)
Moneyline odds: Kings (-165), Ducks (+145)
Moneyline pick: Kings (-165)
Los Angeles is in must-win mode. Depending on the results of Monday’s game between Vegas and New Jersey, the Kings will be either one point ahead of the Golden Knights or three points ahead. Vegas has one game in hand, but the Kings have that one point margin of error that would hold the Golden Knights off. Los Angeles hasn’t played well, going (4-5-1) over the past 10 games. But with four of their final five games against teams with losing records, the Kings are still in the driver’s seat.
The key for Los Angeles is going to be goaltending. Jonathan Quick had a poor start against Colorado playing both ends of a back-to-back, but he’s been solid otherwise. Anaheim is looking to play a spoiler role while also working in some younger guys as the 2022-23 season is likely a full-blown rebuild. It’s also a final chance for retiring captain Ryan Getzlaf to get a win against the SoCal rivals in his second-to-last home game. Getzlaf is actually playing with a jump in his step and has four assists in the past two games.
Goal total: Under 5.5 (+100)
Both teams are comfortable playing a slower, heavy game with a lot of tight checking and not much space in the middle of the ice. Goals have been hard to come by for the Kings. They are only one of two playoff contending teams with a negative goal differential (-4). Los Angeles has only scored more than three goals once this month. Anaheim has scored two or less goals in four of their eight games in April. Expect a 3-2 game, possibly in overtime.
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