The Blackhawks have only managed to win back-to-back games twice this season, but never has their offence looked more dangerous than it does right now. Rookie phenom Connor Bedard has been a big reason for the success with eight points in the past two outings. 

Los Angeles has been asleep at the wheel for the past five games, losing three of those five and barely beating teams in games that should not be close. 

With only two games on Friday’s NHL schedule, puck drop from United Center is set for 8:30 PM EST. Our NHL odds have the Kings as a heavy -275 favourite with the OVER/UNDER set at six goals. 

Kings vs. Blackhawks NHL Betting Odds

These two squads are meeting for the first time this season on Friday and will play again on Tuesday, before wrapping up the season series on the last day of the regular season. Last season, every game ended in a 2-1 final and the Kings, favourited in all three, took the series 2-1. Chicago’s single win in last year’s series came on home ice in their first meeting of the season. They are hopeful to repeat that this year. With three meetings over the next month, this mini-series could get messy and provide a bit more entertainment than a typical matchup for both of these teams. 

Low-scoring games have been the Kings’ gameplan all season, hitting the UNDER 40 times so far, most of any Western Conference team and second most in the entire league. They boast the third-best goals-against-average at 2.6 per game, but it is their ability to score that should concern Kings fans. Out of the 16 teams in playoff position, the Kings are the second lowest scoring just three goals a night. 

After being the lowest-scoring team in the entire league, Chicago exploded for back-to-back seven-goal performances, all thanks to Bedard. It is worth noting that they were up against two of the worst defensive teams in the league in Anaheim and Arizona, but considering that they were having trouble scoring two a game for most of the season it is still remarkable. The Hawks have been a decent bet to cover the spread this season too at 30-36, while being the underdog in every game. 

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings opened their three-game road trip on the wrong foot, dropping the opener in St. Louis 3-1 to the Blues. A late goal from St. Louis in the first period turned the momentum in their favour. Then another goal early in the second had the Blues up two zip. St. Louis would then add a third goal in the final frame before Adrian Kempe (21) would get the Kings on the board. The Kings would outshoot the Blues 41-30 in the game, but their lack of finish was the deciding factor in this one. 

On a brighter note, defenceman Drew Doughty extended his point streak to four games, getting his point total to 42 (14G 28A) through 65 games. The 34-year-old is set to play the entire season for the first time since the 2018-19 season and putting up his best stats in about seven years. 

Currently in third place in the Pacific Division, the Kings are in danger of being knocked back down into a wild-card position as Vegas is tied with 77 points. They are still four points ahead of the Wild who are looking to squeeze into the playoff picture, but one back week could put them in danger. 

Chicago Blackhawks

After sitting in 32nd place for most of the season, it looks as though Chicago will not finish last this season as they are now two points ahead of the San Jose Sharks after their back-to-back wins. 

After crushing the limping Coyotes 7-4 on Sunday, they were even more impressive on Tuesday night, beating the Anaheim Ducks 7-2. 

After giving up the first goal of the game, Ryan Donato (9) tied things up to end the first period. The Ducks would strike again and take the lead early in the second before Connor Bedard would start to pick apart the Anaheim defence. He would pick up three points in the third (1G 2A) to pull the Hawks 4-2 headed into the third. Chicago kept the momentum rolling with three more goals in the third to kill the Ducks with a 7-2 final. 

Bedard would set a new career high of five points in a single game, notching one goal and adding four assists. The teenager has never been hotter, posting eight points and 12 shots in the past two games. He now has 51 points in 52 and is hopeful to reach point-per-game status in his rookie season. 

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Kings vs. Blackhawks?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Kings Team Leaders

LA

Points	Adrian Kempe 75
+ / -	Mikey Anderson 22
Shots	Adrian Kempe 246
Penalty Mins	Andreas Englund 81
Wins	Cam Talbot 27
GAA	David Rittich 2.15

CHI

Points	Connor Bedard 61
+ / -	Joey Anderson 5
Shots	Connor Bedard 206
Penalty Mins	Jarred Tinordi 64
Wins	Petr Mrazek 18
GAA	Petr Mrazek 3.05

LA

Points	Adrian Kempe 5
+ / -	Quinton Byfield 4
Shots	Adrian Kempe 21
Penalty Mins	Drew Doughty 14
Wins	Cam Talbot 1
GAA	David Rittich 2.56

CHI

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Blackhawks Team Leaders

LA

Points	Adrian Kempe 75
+ / -	Mikey Anderson 22
Shots	Adrian Kempe 246
Penalty Mins	Andreas Englund 81
Wins	Cam Talbot 27
GAA	David Rittich 2.15

CHI

Points	Connor Bedard 61
+ / -	Joey Anderson 5
Shots	Connor Bedard 206
Penalty Mins	Jarred Tinordi 64
Wins	Petr Mrazek 18
GAA	Petr Mrazek 3.05

LA

Points	Adrian Kempe 5
+ / -	Quinton Byfield 4
Shots	Adrian Kempe 21
Penalty Mins	Drew Doughty 14
Wins	Cam Talbot 1
GAA	David Rittich 2.56

CHI

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

Injuries

Los Angeles

Anze Kopitar (C)

Ques Mon Undisclosed - 13 / 04 / 24

Phillip Danault (LW)

Prob Sat Upper Body - 31 / 03 / 24

Alex Turcotte (C)

Out indefinitely Upper Body - 20 / 03 / 24

Adrian Kempe (RW)

Late March Upper Body - 27 / 02 / 24

Mikey Anderson (D)

Prob Mon Upper Body - 24 / 02 / 24

Viktor Arvidsson (RW)

Prob Wed Lower Body - 21 / 02 / 24

Carl Grundstrom (RW)

Prob Mon Lower Body - 13 / 02 / 24

Trevor Lewis (C)

Ques Wed Undisclosed - 31 / 01 / 24

Quinton Byfield (RW)

Prob Wed Illness - 26 / 01 / 24

Matt Roy (D)

Ques Wed Personal - 22 / 01 / 24

Chicago

Nick Foligno (LW)

Prob Fri Personal - 09 / 04 / 24

Nikita Zaitsev (D)

Prob Sun Upper Body - 28 / 03 / 24

Colin Blackwell (C)

Prob Sat Upper Body - 20 / 03 / 24

Reese Johnson (C)

Late April Concussion - 14 / 03 / 24

Louis Crevier (D)

Ques Sun Mouth - 21 / 02 / 24

Luke Philp (C)

Mid March Achilles - 18 / 02 / 24

Taylor Raddysh (RW)

Ques Sat Quadricep - 16 / 02 / 24

Jarred Tinordi (D)

Ques Thurs Lower Body - 09 / 02 / 24

Ryan Donato (LW)

Prob Mon Illness - 19 / 01 / 24

Nikita Zaitsev (D)

Mid March Knee - 17 / 01 / 24

Injuries

Los Angeles

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Anze Kopitar (C)	Ques Mon	Undisclosed - 13 / 04 / 24	4-4	4-4	+ -
Kopitar was absent from the last game with an unknown injury, and it is up in the air whether he will face the Wild on Monday.
Phillip Danault (LW)	Prob Sat	Upper Body - 31 / 03 / 24	7-8	8-7	+ -
Danault has missed the previous four games with an upper-body issue, but it is projected that he will play against the Canucks on Saturday.
Alex Turcotte (C)	Out indefinitely	Upper Body - 20 / 03 / 24	10-10	11-9	+ -
Turcotte has been moved to the long-term injured reserve list with an upper-body injury, and the severity of the ailment is unknown.
Adrian Kempe (RW)	Late March	Upper Body - 27 / 02 / 24	15-16	13-17-1	+ -
Kempe is out of commission with an upper-body injury, and he will remain sidelined until the end of March.
Mikey Anderson (D)	Prob Mon	Upper Body - 24 / 02 / 24	15-17	13-18-1	+ -
Anderson has been shut down with an upper-body injury, but he is expected to return to the ice Monday versus the Islanders.
Viktor Arvidsson (RW)	Prob Wed	Lower Body - 21 / 02 / 24	17-17	13-20-1	+ -
Arvidsson has been activated from the long-term injured reserve list after recovering from a lower-body injury, and he is likely to return to the ice Wednesday versus the Wild.
Carl Grundstrom (RW)	Prob Mon	Lower Body - 13 / 02 / 24	20-18	15-22-1	+ -
Grundstrom has been shifted to the long-term injured reserve list with a lower-body injury, but he is expected to be activated prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference first round versus the Oilers.
Trevor Lewis (C)	Ques Wed	Undisclosed - 31 / 01 / 24	21-19	16-22-2	+ -
Lewis is tending to an unspecified ailment, leaving his status against the Predators on Wednesday in question.
Quinton Byfield (RW)	Prob Wed	Illness - 26 / 01 / 24	21-21	17-23-2	+ -
Byfield has missed the last two games with an illness, but it is predicted that he will dress for Wednesday's contest versus the Predators.
Matt Roy (D)	Ques Wed	Personal - 22 / 01 / 24	21-23	18-24-2	+ -
Roy was absent from the last game for the birth of his child, and it is uncertain if he will suit up Wednesday versus the Sabres.

Chicago

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Nick Foligno (LW)	Prob Fri	Personal - 09 / 04 / 24	0-5	1-3-1	+ -
Foligno missed the last contest due to a personal matter, but it is forecasted that he will be available for Friday's matchup with the Predators.
Nikita Zaitsev (D)	Prob Sun	Upper Body - 28 / 03 / 24	4-6	1-8-1	+ -
Zaitsev has missed the last three contests with an upper-body injury, but it is likely that he will suit up Sunday against the Wild.
Colin Blackwell (C)	Prob Sat	Upper Body - 20 / 03 / 24	5-9	4-9-1	+ -
Blackwell has been out of action with an upper-body injury, but it is anticipated that he will make his return against the Stars on Saturday.
Reese Johnson (C)	Late April	Concussion - 14 / 03 / 24	6-10	5-10-1	+ -
Johnson is sidelined while through the concussion protocol, and he is expected to remain idle for at least a week.
Louis Crevier (D)	Ques Sun	Mouth - 21 / 02 / 24	10-16	9-16-1	+ -
Crevier has sat out the last two contests with a mouth issue, and it is unclear if he will face the Red Wings on Sunday.
Luke Philp (C)	Mid March	Achilles - 18 / 02 / 24	11-16	9-17-1	+ -
Philp has wound up on the injured reserve list after undergoing surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon, and he will remain sidelined until at least the middle of March.
Taylor Raddysh (RW)	Ques Sat	Quadricep - 16 / 02 / 24	11-18	10-18-1	+ -
Raddysh is dealing with a quad injury, and it is uncertain if he will lace up Saturday versus the Senators.
Jarred Tinordi (D)	Ques Thurs	Lower Body - 09 / 02 / 24	13-18	11-19-1	+ -
Tinordi is dealing with a lower-body injury, and it is up in the air if he will suit up Thursday versus the Penguins.
Ryan Donato (LW)	Prob Mon	Illness - 19 / 01 / 24	15-22	13-23-1	+ -
Donato has been absent from the previous three games due to illness, but it is projected that he will suit up for Monday's battle with the Canucks.
Nikita Zaitsev (D)	Mid March	Knee - 17 / 01 / 24	15-24	13-25-1	+ -
Zaitsev has landed on the injured reserve list with a knee injury, and he is likely to remain sidelined until sometime in March.