Kings vs. Golden Knights Prediction, Best Bet, and Solid Prop Bets

The Los Angeles Kings will host the Vegas Golden Knights tonight  in a key Pacific Division showdown at the Crypto.com Arena. Both teams are firmly in the playoff hunt with the Kings sitting at 30-17-7 and the Golden Knights at 34-17-6 — and with the season series tied 1-1, this matchup could have some major implications in the race.

The Kings enter this game as slight favorites at -115 on the moneyline, while the Golden Knights are just behind at -105. This tells us that even the bookmakers think this will be a good, tight game.

Sure, Vegas is riding a strong stretch, but we can’t overlook the fact that Los Angeles has been solid at home. With both teams needing some points for positioning, we’re expecting a hard-fought battle on ESPN+.

Vegas Golden Knights Bring Balance

The Golden Knights have been one of the most balanced teams in the Western Conference. They rank 1st in the Pacific Division with 74 points. They’ve won 3 of their last 5 games which included a solid 3-1 win over Vancouver in their last game and the Canucks are no pushover.

Jack Eichel with his 69 points on the season continues to be the offensive leader, and Pavel Dorofeyev has emerged as a key goal scorer as well as he has 23 goals so far.

Defensively, Vegas allows 2.7 goals per game. That is slightly more than the Kings, but their penalty kill at 77.1% isn’t nearly as effective. If this game comes down to the special teams, that unit could come back to haunt them.

Goaltender Adin Hill has a decent .903 SV%, but he’ll need to be extremely sharp against a Kings team that can score in droves. If he takes the ice and is as hot as we know he can be, he shouldn’t have a problem keeping the puck out of the back of the net.

Los Angeles Kings Leverage Special Teams

Los Angeles has been inconsistent, but they sit just behind Vegas in the Pacific Division standings with 67 points.

They’ve gone 5-3-2 in their last 10 games while showing flashes of strong play but also struggling with inconsistency. Against one of the best teams in the NHL, the Kings will have to be on top of their game.

Adrian Kempe leads the team with 46 points which isn’t great, but goes to show that the team wins with depth. While Anze Kopitar and his 33 assists continues to be a key playmaker, they’ll need all of the help they can from the 3rd and 4th lines.

In the net, Darcy Kuemper has a solid .918 SV% and has been one of the better goalies in the league. He has helped the Kings maintain a 2.54 goals-against average — the best in this game. Their penalty kill of 81.9% is also stronger than Vegas, which we think could be a key factor if this game gets chippy.

Prediction and Best Bet

These teams have split their two meetings this season — each taking one in dominant fashion.

The Kings took the most recent matchup 6-3, while Vegas absolutely crushed Los Angeles 6-1 in their first meeting back at the beginning of the season.

That said, we do have to hand it to the Kings who have a slight defensive edge, and Kuemper has been the better goaltender.

Vegas has been strong lately, but the Kings’ home-ice advantage and defensive play is what we think gives them the edge. We are expecting a low-scoring, tight battle, with the Kings pulling out a 3-2 win.

• HelloRookie’s Prediction: Kings 3, Golden Knights 2
• Best Bet: Kings Moneyline (-115)

With Los Angeles at home and Kuemper in the crease, they have just enough to get past Vegas in a close game. The best bet for this game is to take the Kings to win straight up.  The total sitting at 5.5 goals is a bit low, which we think this game might be below that, but it’s still too close for us to take a side on the total. We’d leave that bet off of your bet slip for tonight.

Kings vs. Golden Knights Prop Bets 

This game might be too tight for some to bet on and we get that. However, if you’re looking for additional betting action beyond the moneyline or the total, there are some really hot prop bets worth considering—

• Mark Stone Over 0.5 Assists (-110). Stone has recorded at least one assist in each of his last 4 games against the Kings. While the odds aren’t the best, this is still a solid play.
• Adrian Kempe Over 0.5 Assists (+150). Kempe has picked up an assist in 5 of his last 6 matchups with Vegas so he knows how to get it done. At plus money, we really like this prop bet.
• Kevin Fiala Anytime Goalscorer (+150). Anytime goalscorers are risky, but then again, Fiala has found the back of the net in 4 of the Kings’ last 5 games and he’s smoking hot. The odds with this one are what make this one of the best NHL player props of the night.

These prop bets provide good value based on recent trends and could be a strong addition to your bet slip.