If the San Jose Sharks are going to make a run at a wild card spot, they need to get going and would make no better introduction to that quest than beating the Los Angeles Kings. But that is far easier said than done, having already dug a hole in the NHL standings. It will be hard if they do pull off the upset as one of four games on the NHL schedule today.
The Sharks (13-21-4-4) visit the crypto.com Arena, where they will play the Kings (24-14-5-1) at 10 p.m. ET on TNT. While NHL picks today will be popular going against the San Jose Sharks odds.
Here is a breakdown of the game before our picks against the Sharks vs Kings odds.
San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings Odds
The Sharks vs Kings odds show the visitors at +170 on the Moneyline while the Kings are -205. The NHL odds show the Sharks’ puck line is +1.5 (-140) while the Kings’ puck line is -1.5 (+120). The over/under is 6.5 goals at -110 odds in either direction.
San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings Matchup Information
San Jose Sharks (13-21-8) vs. Los Angeles Kings (24-14-6)
Location of the game: crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles, CA.
Date: Wednesday, January 11th, 2023, 10:00 p.m. ET
How to watch: TNT
San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings Analysis
This is one of the historic NHL matchups and regional rivalries, with Wednesday night’s game being the 197th meeting since San Jose joined the league in 1991.
The Kings have won the last three meetings despite the Sharks having the all-time series lead at 105-72-7-12. That includes four playoff series with the Sharks leading 14-11, but the teams have split those series.
The under is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Los Angeles, whereas the Sharks are 15-5 across the last 20 meetings.
San Jose Sharks Performance Recap and Analysis
The Sharks have lost three straight games and six of their last seven, showing signs of struggle to close 2022 and lead off the new year. They have struggled in both the offensive and defensive zones this season.
NHL stats show the Sharks are 22nd in scoring 3.1 goals per game and attempting 29.9 shots per game. They are 20th on the power play at converting 20.2% of opportunities. Defensively, they are 27th in allowing 3.6 goals per game despite being 11th in allowing 30.2 shots per game and ranking second on the penalty kill, stopping 84.6% of special teams’ opportunities.
Erik Karlsson continues to have a strong season from his defenseman position. He leads the team with 55 points and 42 of those on assists. Right winger Timo Meier has 41 points and leads the team with 23 goals. The NHL player stats show that those two players and three others have ten or more goals this season for the Sharks.
Goalie James Reimer is probable to start and is 7-12-0-3 with a 3.22 goals against average, 89.5% save percentage, and one shutout.
Key Injuries
The NHL injury report shows defensemen Radim Simek (upper body) and Markus Nutivaara remain out indefinitely. Meanwhile, center Luke Kunin is out for the season with a knee injury.
Betting Trends to Know
The Sharks are 21-21 against the spread and 26-14 on over/under this season. They are -441 on the Moneyline. Surprisingly enough, they are better on the road with a 9-10-1-1 record straight up.
Los Angeles Kings Performance Recap and Analysis
The Kings are in a race for the Pacific Division with 54 points. They are behind the Vegas Golden Knights (56 points) and narrowly ahead of the Seattle Kraken (52 points). So it is a must to dominate a team much lower in the standings – the Sharks have 34 points – when the time comes on the Los Angeles Kings schedule.
The offensive zone has been the strong suit for the Los Angeles Kings this season. They are 12th in scoring 3.3 goals per game and 10th in getting 32.3 shots per game. They are ninth at converting 24.7% of power play opportunities. Defensively, they are 20th in allowing 3.4 goals per game but are sixth in limiting teams to 28.7 shots per game. Their penalty kill ranks 25th in killing off 73.4% of opposing power plays.
Left winger Kevin Fiala has 46 points to lead a rather balanced attack. His 31 assists also lead the team, and his 15 goals are third. Right winger Adrian Kempe has 17 goals and 28 points. He is one of six players with ten or more goals scored.
Jonathan Quick is the probable goaltender. He is 8-9-3-1 with a 3.4 goals against average and has saved 88.4% of shots.
Key Injuries
Fellow goaltender Jacob Ingham is out until at least April with a back injury. More concerning is right winger Arthur Kaliyev (lower body) and left winger Trevor Moore (upper body) are out indefinitely.
Betting Trends to Know
The Kings are 24-20 against the spread and 22-19 on over/under. They are +255 on the Moneyline. They are 13-7-2-0 straight up on home ice.
San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings Betting Picks
NHL picks favor the Kings at 75% of public bets to win outright. Another 58% of public bets are on over 6.5 goals.
Here are our picks against the Sharks vs Kings odds:
Moneyline: Kings -205; we’ll take the money and run. The Kings are very good on home ice, and as long as they can stay out of the penalty box, they should be able to control the puck in the offensive zone.
Over/Under: Under 6.5; this could go in either direction, but three of the last four meetings between the Sharks and Kings have been five goals or less, and three were Kings wins.
Puck Line Spread: Kings -1.5 (+120); this is where we can make our money with the Kings winning an earlier road matchup 5-2 in San Jose this season, though, on home ice, they needed a shootout to secure three points. But all the numbers favor the Kings, so we’ll take them.
San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings Score Prediction
Quick has struggled in the net for the Kings, but we like him tonight. The ability to control the puck in the offensive zone and get shots on net will relieve some pressure. Should the San Jose Sharks draw special teams opportunities, our plans and game story could be derailed quickly.
NHL Pick: Kings 4, Sharks 2
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