A battle royale will take place in the National Hockey League as the defending Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles Kings take on the Pittsburgh Penguins this coming Thursday. Packed with offensive talent, the Penguins enter this contest as the best-scoring team in the NHL. However, they will be tested against the Kings who carry the best defensive mark in the league today.
In this battle between offense and defense, who will emerge triumphant? Read on for a preview of this much-anticipated matchup. If you’re looking for other sports action, though, you can check out our preview of Game 7 of the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals here.
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Los Angeles Kings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Preview
All good things must come to an end and the Los Angeles Kings found that out on Tuesday night when they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime to snap their six-game winning streak.
[sc:NHL240 ]Former Kings player Brayden Schenn was the man of the match for the Flyers as his goal with 2:36 remaining in the extra period gave the Flyers its fourth win in nine games. Meanwhile, it’s back to the drawing board for the Kings who lost for just the third time this season.
For the Kings to return to winning ways against the Penguins this coming Thursday, they will need to focus on their defense once again. During their six-game winning run, the Kings allowed just 0.83 goals per outing but in the game against the Flyers last night they allowed three goals, the most they have surrendered since October 11.
Stopping the Penguins is easier said than done, though, as they will face a Pittsburgh team that is flying on the offensive end at the present time. The Penguins are the best offensive team in the NHL today, scoring 4.12 goals per contest.
Fortunately for the Kings, they have one of the best goalkeepers in the game today in Jonathan Quick to help stave off this superb offensive lineup. He is ninth among all goalies with a 1.78 GAA and is fifth in the save percentage department with an impressive .950 clip. Interestingly, his backup Martin Jones is second with an even better .970 mark although he has only played in just two games.
Thanks to these two, the Kings have allowed just 1.67 goals per game this season, the best mark in the entire league.
The Pittsburgh Penguins opened their three-game home stand in the best way possible as they pulverized the New Jersey Devils 8-3 on Tuesday night.
Trailing 3-1 early in the second period, the Penguins scored seven unanswered goals to push their record to 5-2-1 this season and into solo second in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. They will look to extend their winning streak to three games when they host the Los Angeles Kings this coming Thursday.
They will fancy their chances of grabbing the victory against the defending Stanley Cup champions because of their dynamic duo of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. Crosby has been lights out to start the season as he is currently second in the league in points with 14 to his name already. He scored twice in the game against New Jersey, stretching his goal tally to seven for the season.
Malkin, on the other hand, extended his point streak to eight games with a power-play goal in the second period, his fourth of the season. In fact, the Penguins as a whole have been excellent with the power play this season. They are first in the league in converting power play opportunities with a 40 percent clip.
They will be tested, though, against the Kings who are eighth in the league this season in penalty kill percentage with an 85.7 percent mark.
Writer’s Prediction
The Penguins win 3-1 to extend their winning streak to three games.
