Will the Kings remain No.2 in the division?

Without Doughty – no chance or now more than ever? The Los Angeles Kings are playing a surprisingly strong season so far and still hold on to second place in the Pacific Division. That means the playoffs are absolutely within reach, which is more than we can say about the Blackhawks.

They have also scored 25 points less than LA, which is quite a lot after 63 games. That’s why they are again considered the clear underdogs in the City of Angels on Thursday – plus they now have to do without Marc-André Fleury in goal.

The Stanley Cup experienced goalie was shipped to Minnesota just before the trade deadline. That leaves the Hawks with just two completely inexperienced goalies in Kevin Lankinen and Collin Delia, who have a combined total of just 16 starts this season.

However, with Doughty, an important cornerstone of the Kings’ line-up, set to leave by the end of the season, the balance is already evened out. Nevertheless, our prediction for Kings vs. Blackhawks is a success for the home team, which has simply been much more consistent this season.

Los Angeles Kings – Statistics & current form

The Kings just don’t let up and that surprises many NHL experts to some extent. Before the season, teams like the Oilers, the Golden Knights or the Stars were considered to have a much better roster in the Western Conference.

With 78 points, however, LA is already six points ahead of ninth place in the West and thus has a good chance of making it into the postseason. And this despite the fact that only one player has ever broken the 50-point scoring mark.

Kings the minimalists in scoring

Only Anze Kopitar with 54 scorer points has been able to surpass the magic 50-point mark so far. Even the 40-point mark has only been reached by one other player, Trevor Moore. The Kings score more across the board than at the top, which is successful for them though.

With Drew Doughty, however, their No.7 scorer and leader of the defence is now out until the end of the season. An upper-body injury suffered in the Bruins game will keep him out of action until the start of the postseason. A tough blow for LA, but one they can absorb collectively.

LA struggling offensively at times

Among the top 7 in the Western Conference, the Kings are the weakest team with a +6 goal differential (188 to 182). This is mainly due to the fact that they often win their games by a narrow margin and also only score 2.85 goals per game – 21st in the league.

Nevertheless, they do win their games, which puts them slightly ahead of their opponents from Chicago. That coolness is likely to make the difference again on Thursday, which is why betting on LA is our favourite betting option for Kings vs Blackhawks.

Key Players:
G: Jonathan Quick
D: Mikey Anderson
D: Drew Doughty
LW: Alex Iafallo
C: Anze Kopitar
RW: Adrian Kempe

Chicago Blackhawks – Statistics & current form

Chicago is a far cry from days gone by, when they were one of the top favourites to win the Stanley Cup every year between 2008 and 2017. In the meantime, they even belong to the three worst teams in the Western Conference and are completely in transition.

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, the two best scorers of that time, are still in the squad. Kane, in particular, still regularly shows that he still has it, even if his production has naturally also declined due to his age.

Defence again and again with total failures

If we look for trouble spots in the Hawks game, we find a few, but the most serious is probably on defence. With 3.44 goals against per game, the Hawks have the eighth weakest defence in the NHL – only 0.32 goals against away from the worst (Canadiens).

So it’s a bad thing that regular goalie Marc-André Fleury has now been traded to Minnesota. He wasn’t in the form he had been in in the past, but he still stopped 90.8 of all shots on goal.

His backups, who will be in the box in the future, are Kevin Lankinen (88.9%) and Collin Delia (75.0%). Both not stats that promise them many wins.

Motivation no longer the highest

With nothing at stake for Chicago as of now, this could have a big impact on their motivation, which has already been evident in recent games. The trade of Fleury to the Hawks’ disadvantage should only strengthen this feeling.

Thus, we do not expect a 100% motivated team in Los Angeles either and see the odds on the Kings as more promising for LA vs. Chicago. Even if the bookmakers consider them to be the medium favourites.

Key Players:
G: Kevin Lankinen
D: Jake McCabe
D: Caleb Jones
LW: Alex DeBrincat
C: Dylan Strome
RW: Patrick Kane

Los Angeles Kings – Chicago Blackhawks Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

The only duel this season went to the Kings 4:3 after overtime. Very close, but back in early November it was also about more for Chicago. This has changed in the meantime, which is why we now see LA more clearly ahead.

Looking at the last few years, the head-to-head comparison is also in favour of the Kings, who have won four of the last five duels. If we go back a little further, then it is even 8:2 per LA from the last ten meetings.

All of this cements the Kings’ status as favourites for us, making Los Angeles vs Chicago a No.1 betting option for the Kings. In terms of total points, we also still recommend betting on over-points due to Chicago’s defensive weakness.

Los Angeles Kings – Chicago Blackhawks Tip

Los Angeles may not be the uber-team par excellence either, but they have still managed to pick up a whopping 25 more points than Chicago to date. They have also won six of their last ten games, the Blackhawks only three.

This makes LA’s favourite status grow so much that we clearly favour the odds on the home team for Kings vs. Blackhawks. Whether with slight handicaps or as straight win bets, the Californians should end up strong enough to cover these bets.

Alternatively, bets on over points are also recommended. After all, the Kings scored six goals against the Predators last time out and the Blackhawks conceded six against the Jets. In addition, the last duels between these two teams were often very high-scoring. In the duel Los Angeles Kings vs. Chicago Blackhawks, the betting odds for over 5.5 goals are a solid 1.60.