Vancouver Canucks vs. Los Angeles Kings Prediction, NHL Odds
Vancouver has struggled lately, winning just two of their past eight games. They are looking to put the month of February in the rearview and increase their lead in the Pacific Division. The Kings, their divisional foe and opponent on Tuesday night have two big points on the line themselves. A win could put them in third place in the Division, pulling themselves out of a wildcard position.
The latest game on the NHL’s Tuesday schedule is at 10:30 PM EST. from Crypto.com Arena in LA. Our NHL odds have the Canucks as the favourite on the moneyline with the OVER/UNDER set at 6 goals.
Canucks vs. Kings NHL Betting Odds
The Canucks will be looking for revenge on Tuesday after taking a 5-1 beating from the Kings on Thursday night at home. The Kings managed just 20 shots on goal, but the team’s stars showed up to play as Drew Doughty and Kevin Fiala each had goals and two assists. This will be their second of four meetings in this season’s interdivisional series.
A typical Kings and Canucks matchup is low scoring, only playing the OVER once in their past 10 meetings. LA has won each of the past three meetings beating Vancouver by at least three in each of those games.
Vancouver’s sketchy play recently has helped them drop each of their past eight games on the spread putting them at 36-27 on the year. Their offence has been slow over the past half of a dozen games, scoring just two per game over that stretch. They were averaging almost four goals per game all season.
The Kings are one of the best teams at keeping the puck out of their net, ranking third in goals against average at 2.62. Their defence-first mindset has them at 21-36-3 on the OVER/UNDER this season, including their recent stretch of just two overs in their past 10 games. Back-to-back 5-1 wins have helped LA cover both times and they are 6-4 ATS in their past 10.
Vancouver Canucks
The month of February was a disaster for the Canucks, but they got off on the right foot in March, squeaking out a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. They held Anaheim to just a measly 18 shots in the game, making it a bit easier on backup goalie Casey DeSmith.
Vancouver got on the board early with Nils Hoglander’s 19th less than two minutes into the game. The Ducks answered a few minutes later to tie things and the first ended at one goal a piece. Conor Garland’s goal (12) three and a half minutes into the second was the end of the offence in the game, as the Canucks would smother the Ducks in the final two periods of play.
Elias Petterson has not quite been himself lately going goalless through his last six games. Perhaps the uncertainty of his future was distracting him, but the Canucks just made him one of the highest-paid players in the league for the next eight years, so expect him to get back in his groove tonight.
Los Angeles Kings
Typically known for his defensive game, Philip Danault flipped his offensive switch on Sunday night, tucking three goals for the Kings in their 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. Alex Laferriere (9) and Kevin Fiala (19) each added goals in the win, while goalie Cam Talbot turned away 30 shots winning his fourth game in his past five starts.
These back-to-back wins were impressive under new head coach Jim Hiller, who has recently taken over for Todd McLellan. Both the Devils and Canucks were playing desperate hockey in those games and the Kings handled them well. Hiller has been behind the bench for 12 games now and is now 8-4.
Los Angeles will be hoping to clean up their dicey 12-10-6 record on home ice with a couple of wins during their current five-game homestand. It will be important to climb into the top three spots of the Pacific Division before the playoffs, to help them avoid either of the Western Conference’s top seeds in the playoffs.
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