Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and the Los Angeles Kings will face off against Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and the Boston Bruins at TD Garden in a cross-country tilt. New England Sports Network will showcase the action, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 17.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Boston Bruins Odds
The Bruins (-235) are being labeled as the solid favorites over the Kings (+195), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Boston is 21-13 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 1.9 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked fourth in the league so far this season, hasn’t moved much from what the team managed during the 2018-19 season (49-33). 16 of its 34 games have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just three have pushed. The team is 12-6 SU at home this season.
The Bruins come into the matchup with the third-best power-play unit in the NHL, as the team has scored on 26.2 percent of their extra-man opportunities this season. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 10th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 83.5 percent of all penalties.
With a .926 save percentage and 28.1 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (13-7-3) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Bruins this season. If Boston decides to give him a rest, however, the team could go with Jaroslav Halak (8-6-6 record, .928 save percentage, 2.26 goals against average).
Los Angeles has lost 4.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year and is currently 14-21 straight up (SU). A total of 18 of its outings have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just two have pushed. As the away team, the Kings are 4-14 SU so far.
The Kings have converted on just 12.4 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 30th overall and it’s successfully killed off 74.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
Jonathan Quick (25.0 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Los Angeles. Quick has nine wins, 14 losses, and two overtime losses to his credit, while registering a .891 save percentage and 3.06 goals against average this year.
Los Angeles Kings at Boston Bruins Free Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- The Kings are 5-8 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Bruins are 8-4 SU in games where they serve more minutes than their opponent.
- The under has hit in three of Boston’s last five games.
- Los Angeles is ranked 22nd this season with 11.1 giveaways per game. That figure has trended down recently, however, as it’s averaged 9.7 giveaways over its last 10 games and 9.8 giveaways over its last five.
- Boston has averaged 10.0 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 10.7 giveaways per game (ranked 19th in the league).
- The Bruins this season have tallied the eighth-most hits in the league (24.2 per game), but the club has averaged 31.0 over their past five home games.
