Free NHL Hockey Prediction: Blues vs Kings NHL Odds
Looking for St. Louis Blues vs. Los Angeles Kings free hockey plays & NHL Odds? NHL betting sees the Blues taking on the Kings on Thursday January 12th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NHL Hockey matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily NHL hockey predictions.
(26-8-5) St. Louis Blues vs. Los Angeles Kings (26-9-5)
Date: Thursday January 12th
Time: 7:30 PM
Venue: Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA
NHL Hockey Moneyline Odds: Kings -133
NHL Hockey Puck Line Odds:
NHL Betting Total: 5
Live NHL Odds
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The Los Angeles Kings have weathered the storm as best as possible after the loss of Jonathan Quick, and sit just three points back of the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference standings.
The Blues are firmly in third place in the Central Division behind the surprisingly Minnesota Wild and the ever-dangerous Chicago Blackhawks.
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis have a deep roster and a team that will be tough come playoff time, with a strong top three lines and a solid defensive core. They will try to make the playoff run last until the end in what is Ken Hitchcock’s swan song behind the Blues’ bench.
Leading the charge on offense is Vladamir Tarasenko, the young Russian sniper who sits in a tie for 4th in the league in points with 43. Tarasenko is atop the blues in goals (20), assists (23) and points (43) on the year at the halfway mark.
That isn’t to say that Senko does it all himself, considering the others joining him up front are Alex Steen, Robby Fabbri, Pail Stastny, Jaden Schwartz, Jori Lehtera, Patrik Berglund and David Perron.
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Fabbri is second on the team in scoring with 26 points, in what has been a down year amongst their forward production but still remains poised for a breakout.
The pending free agent, Kevin Shattenkirk, is setting himself up for a big payday come the summer.
Shattenkirk had eight goals and 26 total points in 41 games this season from the backend, leading all Blues blueliners. Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester and Colton Parayko solidify the strong top-four.
It will be interesting to see if the Blues try to address the goaltending position nearing the trade deadline, as current starter, Jake Allen, owns a .902 SV% on the year and back-up Carter Hutton is sub-.900.
They’ve tried this in the past, when they acquired Ryan Miller from the Sabres in 2014, but to no avail.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings are still needing more out of star centerman, Anze Kopitar, who has just four goals and 20 points in 36 games played this year.
The Kings offense as a whole has been struggling this season, ranking 21st overall in goals per game at a mark of 2.5.
The bright spot has been Jeff Carter, who has almost single-handedly kept the Kings’ offense afloat. Carter has netted 22 goals, which sits him second in the NHL behind just Sidney Crosby. Carter’s 37 points led the next best Kings’ player, defenseman Alex Martinez, by 14 points.
The only other King to net double-digit goals is Tanner Pearson, who has 11 on the year. Tyler Toffoli, who tallied 32 goals last year, has eight in his 32 games played but has yet to resume skating yet due to a lower body injury.
The blueline is one area that has helped keep LA in the playoff hunt, as dmen Alex Martinez and Drew Doughty sit 2nd and 3rd in points on the team, respectively.
The headline a defensive unit that has performed well and sees the Kings sitting in 8th overall in goals against at 2.5 per game on average.
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But the best savior has been between the pipes, where Peter Budaj has stepped in as the starter after star player, Jonathan Quick, was lost to a serious injury.
Budaj, who started the year in the AHL, has a 2.13 GAA and a .916 SV% on the year with an 18-11-3 record.
NHL Betting Trends:
- The Blues rank 8th in goals per game at 2.8 on average
- St. Louis has alternated wins and losses in every game since December 19th, coming off of a loss against Boston on Tuesday
- St. Louis is 5-10-1 on the road this year
- Los Angeles rank 8th in goals against this season at a mark of 2.5
- Los Angeles is 12-6-1 at home
- Los Angeles have a goal differential of -3 on the year
Free St. Louis Blues vs. Los Angeles Kings NHL Hockey Prediction:
St. Louis, while ahead of the Kings in the standings, have been brutal on the road this year with just five wins. On the other hand, the Kings have won 66% of games on home ice, as evidenced by their 12-6-1 record at the Staples Center.
4* Free NHL Betting Pick: Under 5.5
Though I think that St. Louis is the more complete team of the two, I think home ice advantage may come into play in LA so I think this is essentially a pick’em, but I don’t expect a lot of goals between LA’s solid defense and lack of offensive output.
NHL Free Score Prediction: St. Louis 3 – Los Angeles 1
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