Gila River Arena is the site for an enticing showdown as the Arizona Coyotes face off against the visiting Los Angeles Kings. This Pacific Division matchup will get started at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 9, and it can be seen live on Fox Sports Arizona.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Arizona Coyotes Odds
With a -175 moneyline, Arizona heads into the matchup as the obvious favorite. The line for Los Angeles is standing at +155, and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 5 goals (-130 for the over, +110 for the under).
The Coyotes are 33-34 straight up (SU) and have earned moneyline bettors 5.8 units this year. That early-season winning percentage is a huge turnaround from what the team managed during last year’s regular season (29-53). Through 67 regular season outings, 36 of the team’s games have gone under the total, while 28 have gone over and just three have pushed. The team’s 16-18 SU at home this season.
Arizona’s converted on just 16.7 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places the team in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated second overall, and it’s successfully killed off 85.0 percent of all penalties.
As a team, Arizona has been penalized just 3.4 times per game overall this season, 3.0 per game over its last five contests total, and 3.0 per game over its last five at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 6.2 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, in total.
Boasting a .920 save percentage and 28.5 saves per game, Darcy Kuemper (21-20-5) has been the primary option in goal for the Coyotes this season. If they choose to give him a breather, however, head coach Rick Tocchet might turn to Antti Raanta (6-6-6 record, .906 save percentage, 2.88 goals against average).
The Coyotes will continue looking for leadership out of Clayton Keller and Alex Galchenyuk. Keller (42 points) has tallied 13 goals and 29 assists and has recorded two or more points seven times this year. Galchenyuk has 15 goals and 21 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 26 contests.
In the other locker room, Los Angeles is 24-43 straight up (SU) and has lost 18.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of 34 of its games have gone under the total, while 32 have gone over and just one has pushed. Los Angeles’ 11-23 SU as an away team this season.
Los Angeles has converted on just 15.4 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s ranked 29th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 30th overall and it’s successfully defended 75.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
Los Angeles’ skaters have been penalized only 3.3 times per game in total this season, and 4.2 per game over their last five on the road. The team has been forced to kill penalties 8.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jonathan Quick (26.2 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Los Angeles. Quick has 12 wins, 25 losses, and six overtime losses to his credit, and has registered a .891 save percentage and 3.32 goals against average this year.
Anze Kopitar (19 goals, 29 assists) has been one of the top offensive facilitators for the visiting Kings.
Los Angeles Kings at Arizona Coyotes Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Coyotes, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in three of Arizona’s last five games.
- Penalties and power plays could prove to be key in the outcome of this matchup. The Kings are 8-16 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 18-32 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, total. The Coyotes are 13-20 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 21-26 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Two of Arizona’s past 10 outings have gone to a shootout. The team’s 2-0 in those games and 4-1 overall in shootouts this year.
- Arizona is ranked 25th in the NHL with 6.6 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended higher lately, as the team has managed 7.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 8.0 takeaways over its last five.
- Los Angeles has managed 7.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 5.1 takeaways per game (ranked 32nd).
- Arizona may hold the upper hand if it’s a close one late. The team’s 15-13 in games decided by one goal, while Los Angeles is 11-14 in such games.
