The Staples Center is the site for an intriguing matchup as the Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice against the Los Angeles Kings. It’s the last time that the two clubs will meet in the regular season. This East-West matchup gets going at 10:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 26, and it can be watched live on NBC Sports Network.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Los Angeles Kings Odds
Pittsburgh (-170) is being chosen as the favorite over Los Angeles (+150), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals. If bettors want to wager on the matchup’s total, they’ll be looking at odds of -105 for the over and -115 for the under.
Pittsburgh is 37-24 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 6.9 units this season. 30 of its games have gone under the total, while 29 have gone over and just two have pushed. The Pens are 15-14 SU as the away team in 2019-20.
Pittsburgh has converted on 21.1 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked 10th overall, and it has successfully killed off 81.8 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Pittsburgh has been penalized just 3.3 times per game during the 2019-20 season, and 4.2 per game over its last five on the road. The team has had to defend opponent power plays just 7.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .901 save percentage and 25.3 saves per game, Matt Murray (18-15-5) has been the top option in goal for Pittsburgh this year. If Pittsburgh decides to rest him, however, the team may turn to Tristan Jarry (20-10-1), who has a .927 save percentage and 2.23 goals against average this year.
The visiting Penguins have relied on Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust this year. Malkin has 62 points on 21 goals and 41 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 18 different games. Rust has 23 goals and 26 assists to his name, and has registered at least one point in 29 games.
Over on the other bench, Los Angeles is 22-41 straight up (SU) and has lost 11.9 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 63 regular season outings, 33 of its games have gone under the total, while 25 have gone over and just five have pushed. This season, the team is 13-15 SU at home.
Los Angeles has converted on just 16.5 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s ranked 24th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Los Angeles players have been sent to the penalty box only 3.1 times per game this season, and 4.0 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 6.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jonathan Quick has denied 26.1 shots per game as the top choice in goal for Los Angeles. Quick has 13 wins, 26 losses, and four overtime losses to his name and has registered a fairly-weak .898 save percentage and 2.96 goals against average this year.
Anze Kopitar (18 goals, 38 assists) will lead the offensive attack for the Kings.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Los Angeles Kings Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Kings, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in three of Pittsburgh’s last five games.
- Pittsburgh’s attempted 32.0 shots per game overall this season (ranked 11th in the NHL), and 31.2 in its last 10 outings.
- Penalties and power plays could prove to be extremely important in the outcome of this one. The Penguins are 17-10 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 26-15 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Kings are 8-16 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 16-33 when their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Pittsburgh is 3-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Los Angeles is 0-3 in shootouts.
- Los Angeles is ranked 31st in the league this season with 5.1 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as the team has created 4.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 4.0 takeaways over its last five.
- Pittsburgh has scored 3.3 goals per game as a team this season, but is averaging 1.7 goals per contest over its three-game losing streak.
- Pittsburgh is ranked 13th in the league this season with 7.6 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher, as it has managed 8.2 takeaways over its last 10 games and 10.2 takeaways over its last five.
- Pittsburgh could hold an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s an impressive 16-8 in games decided by one goal, while Los Angeles is 11-15 in such games.
