Join Daily Faceoff’s Andy MacNeil as he handicaps Saturday’s Pacific Division matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings.
Oilers vs. Kings Odds
- Edmonton Oilers Moneyline: +145
- Los Angeles Kings Moneyline: -175
- Puck Line: Oilers +1.5 (-175), Kings -1.5 (+145)
- Game Total: 5.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Game odds courtesy of Sports Interaction.
Handicapping the Oilers (44-31 SU, 27-48 ATS, 34-40-1 O/U)
Edmonton will look to take one step closer to securing home-ice advantage with its third win in a row on Saturday in Los Angeles. The Oilers currently trail the Kings by two points in the Pacific Division standings, and while Los Angeles still owns the tiebreaker, Edmonton can pull even in points with a regulation win.
The two teams are on a collision course to meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Edmonton has won all three previous postseason matchups and has also dominated the Kings in the regular season, going 9-5 straight up against Los Angeles since the start of the 2021–22 campaign.
That said, things have been close this season, with each team winning once. Los Angeles took the first meeting at home, 4-3, on Dec. 28, while Edmonton responded with a 1-0 shutout on Jan. 13 at Rogers Place. The teams will meet again in Edmonton on April 14.
Leon Draisaitl will not be available for Saturday’s game after suffering a lower-body injury midway through Edmonton’s 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. Draisaitl had only been back for three games since returning from a previous injury, but he had made a big impact, recording three goals and two assists. The 29-year-old is expected to return well ahead of the playoffs, according to the team.
As a result, this isn’t much of a playoff preview, given that Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Mattias Ekholm, and Stuart Skinner are all currently sidelined. Edmonton will look much different come playoff time, with all of those players back and newcomers like forward Trent Frederic and veteran Evander Kane also in the lineup. In fact, there’s a slight chance Frederic will make his debut on Saturday.
Still, this is a chance for Edmonton to build some confidence as a group heading into the postseason. Players like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson, and Jake Walman have stepped up their game while the team has been shorthanded, but the odds clearly reflect how much the injuries affect the Oilers’ chances in this matchup.
Handicapping the Kings (43-32 SU, 37-38 ATS, 29-43-3 O/U)
The Kings are one of the hottest teams in the league, having won 12 of their last 15 games, including three in a row. Los Angeles boasts the NHL’s best home record (28-4-4), highlighted by a 4-3 overtime victory over the Oilers back on Dec. 28. The Kings have allowed the fewest goals on home ice this season.
Defense has been a key part of the Kings’ success, as only one team has allowed fewer goals per 60 minutes. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper deserves a lot of credit for that. The 34-year-old enters Saturday’s game with the eighth-best save percentage (.920) in the league and currently ranks third in goals saved above expected.
Kuemper has been particularly sharp since Mar. 8, allowing two or fewer goals in all 12 of his starts, including two shutouts. It’s definitely been a team effort, though, as no team has allowed fewer expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five than Los Angeles, according to Evolving Hockey. The Kings also rank first in shots on goal against and fifth in shot attempts against.
However, bettors shouldn’t sleep on the Kings’ offense, either. Los Angeles ranks eighth in goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five, and only six teams have generated more shot attempts. Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala have led the way scoring-wise, with 33 and 29 goals, respectively. Former Oilers forward Warren Foegele is the only other player to top 20 goals for the Kings this season, but Anze Kopitar, Quinton Byfield, and Trevor Moore could still reach that mark by season’s end.
Of course, the power play remains a sticking point in their playoff matchups with the Oilers, and the Kings have been among the league’s five worst teams on the man advantage this season. It has improved over the past month, but I’d still classify it as mediocre—and that’s a concern.
Best Bet for Oilers vs. Kings
Adrian Kempe Over 2.5 Shots On Goal (-125)
Despite being the Kings top goal scorer year in and year out, Kempe has only scored five goals in 14 regular season games versus the Oilers since the start of 2021-22. However, it’s not for a lack of trying, as the 28-year-old has at least four shots on goal in 11 of those games for 63 shots in total. Kempe has registered four-plus shots in six consecutive games against Edmonton.
