Another OT Game for Visiting Kings?
Will the power plays get going in Thursday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche? Both teams have been struggling a bit with the man advantage. Los Angeles ranks 19th and Colorado 24th in power-play percentage in the month of December.
Colorado saw its four-game winning streak come to an end with a 6-3 loss at Arizona on Tuesday. The Avalanche used an unusual lineup with eight defensemen and 10 forwards and that led to winger Mikko Rantanen leading the Avalanche in time on ice.
The Kings have won five of their last six games, with four of those contests going into overtime.
Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon is getting close to returning. Fellow first-line winger Gabriel Landeskog as well as defensemen Bowen Byram and Josh Manson could also return in the coming week or weeks. Winger Valeri Nichushkin and goalie Pavel Francouz are day-to-day so perhaps they will be available on Thursday.
Winger Arthur Kaliyev is on injured reserve while center Trevor Moore is out. Center Quintin Byfield is expected to return in early January.
This is the 18th game in a row when the Avalanche are favored against the Kings.
According to the NHL playoff odds, the Avalanche (+600) are tied with Boston for the best odds to win the Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, the Kings are well back at +4000.
Let’s check the latest NHL odds, stats, injury reports, and NHL lines for Kings vs Avalanche. We’ve plenty of NHL betting odds for you to consider.
Spreading The Wealth
The Kings have been getting contributions throughout the lineup over the last six games with nine different goal-scorers. Phillip Danault, Alex Iafallo, and Adrian Kempe have led the way with three goals each with Danault adding four assists.
There are 15 players with at least one point.
The Kings haven’t needed much scoring as the 1.83 goals-against average over that span is second only to Washington’s mark of 1.63.
Pheonix Copley has handled most of the work, going 5-0 with a 1.92 goals-against average during that stretch.
The Las Vegas odds total has gone under in six of Los Angeles’ last seven games.
No Stopping Mikko
With so many key players forced to miss time, Rantanen has certainly risen to the occasion.
In the month of December, only Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres have more goals than the 11 scored by Rantanen.
Rantanen has goals in each of the last three games. Colorado is 4-0 when he has at least two points in games played in December. In 19 home games, he has 14 goals, 15 assists, four game-winning goals, and a defensive rating of +15. He will look to build on those numbers for a Colorado team that is in fourth place in the Central Division standings.
It helps that veteran forward Andrew Cogliano recently returned to action.
Andrew Cogliano is back.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries and other guys have had to step up. Winning every night is our mentality.”
Read up on the longevity of his career and his veteran insight as the Avs continue to battle injuries.#GoAvsGohttps://t.co/n29B9j9N3P
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 28, 2022
The NHL betting lines total has gone under in nine of Colorado’s last 10 games.
Kings vs Avalanche Game Injuries
Kings vs Avalanche Head-to-Head
Colorado has won nine games in a row against Los Angeles and outscored the Kings 39-10 in those games.
Each of the last five games have been decided by at least three goals. Colorado has won the last five times Los Angeles has come to town.
Alex Iafallo had a goal and an assist in the three games against Colorado last season.
MacKinnon led Colorado with eight points in the last three games against Los Angeles. However, he is not expected to play. Defenseman Cale Makar had a goal and five assists in those three contests.
Six of the last nine games between the teams finished under the total.
Kings vs Avalanche Game Information
- Game: Kings (19-13-4) vs Avalanche (19-11-5)
- Day/Time: Thursday, Dec. 29, 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
- Avalanche vs Predators Live Stream: NHL.TV
Kings vs Avalanche Betting Lines
Kings vs Avalanche Picks & Prediction
Colorado is barely holding onto one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference. Reinforcements could be coming as Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said that MacKinnon is close to returning so keep an eye on the reports before the drop of the puck.
Colorado is 15-10-1 as a favorite while Los Angeles is 10-9-1 when listed as the underdog. Both teams are below .500 against the spread. However, the Kings have covered in 11 of 20 road games.
Just 11 of Colorado’s games have gone over the total. That could certainly change when MacKinnon gets back on the ice.
The Kings are listed at +140 in our Las Vegas odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Kings, you have a chance to win $140. Colorado is -160, offering a chance to win $63 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Los Angeles Kings a 41.67% chance to win, with the Colorado Avalanche at 61.54%.
Kings vs Avalanche Trends
Kings vs Avalanche Edge
Kings vs Avalanche Results
Kings vs Avalanche Game Summary
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