Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, and the Philadelphia Flyers will do battle against Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center in an East-West tilt. NBC Sports Philadelphia will showcase the matchup, which gets going at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 31.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Los Angeles Kings Odds
The Flyers (-130) are tabbed as the favorites over the Kings (+110) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Philadelphia is 22-17 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 4.5 units this season. 19 of its contests have gone over the total, while another 19 have gone under and just one has pushed. As the road team this season, the Flyers are 9-11 SU.
Philadelphia has converted on 19.4 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the sixth-best penalty kill in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 83.9 percent of its penalties..
Averaging 22.2 saves per game with a .910 save percentage, Carter Hart (13-13-3) has been the primary option in goal for Philadelphia this season. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, Philadelphia may turn to Brian Elliott (9-9-2), who has a .906 save percentage and 2.88 goals against average this year.
On the other bench, Los Angeles is 16-25 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 41 regular season contests, 23 of its games have gone under the total, while 16 have gone over and just two have pushed. It’s 10-8 SU at home this year.
The Kings have converted on just 12.6 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s ranked 31st in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 73.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Jonathan Quick has stopped 25.3 shots per game as the primary option in goal for the Kings. Quick has 10 wins, 17 losses, and two OT losses to his credit and has recorded a pedestrian 3.05 goals against average and a poor .893 save percentage this season.
Philadelphia Flyers at Los Angeles Kings Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Flyers, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- The Kings are 6-9 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 12-19 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Philadelphia (4-5 in shootouts) has significantly more shootout experience coming into this one. Los Angeles fell short in its one shootout this season.
- Philadelphia may hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 11-6 in one-goal games, while Los Angeles is 9-11 in such games.
- The total has gone under in each of Los Angeles’ last five outings.
- Philadelphia is ranked 17th this season with 10.4 giveaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as it’s averaged 8.5 giveaways over its last 10 games and 9.0 giveaways over its last five.
- Los Angeles is ranked 17th this season with 10.5 giveaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as it’s averaged 7.8 giveaways over its last 10 games and 7.0 giveaways over its last five.
