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- What: Nashville Predators vs. Los Angeles Kings
- Date: Thursday, February 22, 2024
- Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California
- Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: ESPN+, hulu
Two Western Conference clubs hunting for a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs meet tonight at Crypto.com Arena when the Los Angeles Kings play host to the Nashville Predators. The Kings are 28-16-10 on the 2024 NHL season and sit in fourth place in the Pacific Division. Meanwhile, the Predators are 29-25-2 ahead of tonight’s matchup. Nashville is in fifth place in the Central Division.
The Nashville Predators began the 2024 NHL season with a new coach in Andrew Brunette. The club struggled early, going 5-10-1 through November 14. Things clicked after that, and the Preds rattled off six straight wins after ending a four-game losing skid. Nashville has been inconsistent since then, and the team has been unable to string more than two wins together since they won four in a row in mid-December. The Preds have won two straight heading into tonight’s matchup.
The LA Kings finished the 2023 NHL season with a 47-25-10 record, which put the team in the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference. The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Kings 4-2 in the first round of the 2023 NHL playoffs. LA has not won a playoff series since they captured the Stanley Cup in 2014. The Kings went 2-8-6 between December 28 and January 28, but things are looking up as of late, as Los Angeles is 6-1 in their past seven outings and have won four straight.
Before we look at the betting breakdown for tonight’s game between the Nashville Predators and the LA Kings, check out our betting picks to win the 2024 Stanley Cup and our tips for betting on the NHL.
Nashville Predators vs. LA Kings betting picks – February 22, 2024
 | Puck Line | Money Line | Total |
| Nashville Predators | +1.5 (-180) | +142 | Ov 6 (-106) |
| Los Angeles Kings | -1.5 (+160) | -160 | Un 6 (-110) |
Nashville Predators betting breakdown
Filip Forsberg has been with the Predators for his entire career. A former first-round draft pick of the Washington Capitals, Forsberg was traded to the Predators before he played his first NHL game. The 29-year-old had his best career season in 2022, scoring 42 goals and 42 assists in 69 games for the club. Forsberg started this year on pace to break the 100-point mark for the first time. He has lost some momentum, but the club leader in points (55) and goals (26) should end the 2024 NHL campaign near his career-high points. Veteran defenseman Roman Josi leads the club in assists with 41 and is second in scoring with 52 points.
Juuse Saros has played the majority of games in the Nashville net. The 28-year-old is having the worst statistical year of his career. Saros enters tonight’s game with a 21-21-2 record, a 3.02 goals against average, and a .902 save percentage on the 2024 NHL season.
The Predators rank 19th in goals per game this season with 3.04, and the team allows the 12th most goals per game with an average of 3.25 goals per game. Like last season, where the team missed the Stanley Cup playoffs, Nashville has a negative goal differential at minus-10. That’s something the club needs to fix if they hope to make the playoffs. Nashville has the No. 21 power play in the league (19 percent), and the team ranks 26th in penalty kill percentage (75.4).
The Preds are 15-10-2 on the road in 2024. The team remains in the wild card hunt for a spot in the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
LA Kings betting breakdown
The Kings had a good start to the 2024 season, but things have changed since the calendar flipped from 2023 to 2024. The club is 8-8-5 since January 2 and their current four-game winning streak is their longest stretch of victories since they opened December with three consecutive victories.
Adrian Kempe, who had a career year in scoring in 2023, leads the team in points with 48. Trevor Moore is the top goal scorer with 21, and Kevin Fiala has the most assists with 30. Anze Kopitar is second in team scoring with 45 points.
Goaltending could be a concern for the team, as Cam Talbot has not played more than 50 games in a season since 2018, and he’s on pace to play more than that in 2024. Talbot has played well so far, posting a 2.53 goals against average to go with a .913 save percentage. Backup goalie Pheonix Copley is out for the season following ACL surgery. With Copley out, David Rittich will serve as the backup. He has an 8-2-3 record, a 2.25 GAA, and a .919 SV%.
The Kings are 15th in the NHL on the power play (22.1 percent) and first in penalty kill at 86.7 percent. The team averages 3.13 goals per game (15th in the NHL) and gives up an average of 2.61 goals per game, which is the third-fewest goals allowed per game in the league.
The Kings are 10-9-6 at home in 2024 and currently hold a wild card spot in the playoff race.
Nashville Predators vs. LA Kings betting trends
The Predators have won 13 of the 29 games this season where they were the betting underdog. Meanwhile, the Kings have been the betting favorite in 38 games this season and won 20 of those contests.
The Kings have averaged 2.9 goals per game in their past 10 outings. The Predators also have an average of 2.9 goals per game in their past 10 contests.
Nashville has won six of the past 10 games they have played against the Kings.
The Predators and Kings have played twice this year. The teams are 1-1, with Nashville winning 2-1 in Los Angeles and the Kings beating the Predators 4-2 in Nashville.
Best bets for Nashville Predators vs. LA Kings
The Kings are playing well since the All-Star break with only one loss, which came on the road. The betting pick is for the Los Angeles Kings to beat the Nashville Predators.
Look for the Kings’ defense to stand strong against the Predators. The betting pick is for the Predators and Kings to combine for fewer than six goals.
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