Joe Patarino 
There’s only one game on the NHL schedule Friday night as the LA Kings visit the Vancouver Canucks in a Pacific Division matchup.
Projected Lineups
LA Kings (11-7-1)
Here’s how the Kings skated in Wednesday’s win in Edmonton:
Tonight's @LAKings Line Rushes –
Vilardi – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Danault – Arvidsson
Fiala – Kupari – Grundstrom
Anderson-Dolan – Lizotte – KaliyevAnderson – Doughty
Durzi – Roy
Edler – WalkerPetersen
Quick— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) November 17, 2022
The Kings were off on Thursday, so there weren’t any practice lines to note. I can’t say I am expecting any lineup changes after the win against the Oilers. The team does play again on Saturday, so I would expect the goalies to split the two games. Whoever starts Friday is anyone’s guess. Keep an eye on the morning skate for updates.
Vancouver Canucks (5-9-3)
And here is how the Canucks skated during practice on Thursday:
Thursday practice lines for the #Canucks
Garland-Horvat-Miller
Mikheyev-Pettersson-Kuzmenko
Podkolzin-Dries/Lazar-Boeser
Joshua-Åman-Lockwood/HöglanderOEL-Bear
Hughes-Schenn
Stillman-Myers
Rathbone-Burroughs@Sportsnet650 pic.twitter.com/BhBAWEVeqU— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) November 17, 2022
Vancouver is coming off a 5-4 win in Buffalo on Tuesday and is back home for a pair of games against LA and Vegas. It has not been a good start to the season by any definition for the Canucks as they try to claw their way back to .500. That said, Both Bo Horvat and Elias Pettersson are off to hot starts, each tallying 20 points in their first 17 games. J.T. Miller is just under a point per game, with 16 points in 17 games.
The blue line continues to be a weak spot for Vancouver, and Thatcher Demko has not been able to bail them out this year. The 26-year-old netminder has just a .874 save percentage to go along with a 1-8 record in the 2022-23 season.
5-on-5
Here’s how the two teams match up at 5-on-5 per Natural Stat Trick
| Team | GP | CF% | xGF% | SCF% | HDCF% | SH% | SV% | PDO |
| Los Angeles Kings | 19 | 52.0 | 54.2 | 52.5 | 52.7 | 8.9 | 0.903 | 0.992 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 17 | 46.9 | 46.5 | 47.4 | 48.4 | 8.7 | 0.913 | 0.999 |
There’s no question the Kings are the better team here, even with some of their inconsistent play. For some, Vancouver was a pre-season sleeper, but that defensive group has proved to be a bigger problem than many had thought.
Special Teams
Despite their 5-on-5 struggles, Vancouver is a dangerous team with the man advantage. Horvat leads the team in power play goals (6), while Miller’s 10 points is the highest mark on a power play that is 5th in the NHL at 29.5%. The penalty kill, though? Dead last. The Canucks have given up 21 power play goals and have killed just 63.8% of opportunities.
LA’s power play is showing some signs of life lately. Their 19.5% is good for 23rd in the NHL. Their 75% penalty kill efficiency is good for just 26th in the league.
Betting Odds
Let’s take a look at the odds, courtesy of our partner Betstamp (promo code: hockeyroyalty).
*Note: the odds below are for sports books offered in New York. Refer to available sports books specific to your state.
**Odds as of 8:30 am ET/5:30 am PT and may have changed since this has been published.
The Kings are road favorites on Friday, with BetRivers offering the best number at -112. There are a few books offering Vancouver at Even money.
The total on the game is 6.5, with BetRivers offering -102 on the Over and BetMGM is offering the Under at -110.
As a bettor, I like the Kings at -112. As someone who has watched the Kings and knows their inconsistencies, I want to stay away. Proceed with caution.
DraftKings Player Props
Sponsored by DraftKings (promo code THPN)
Trevor Moore is coming off a hat trick in Edmonton; he is +235 to find the back of the net again.
The LA Kings’ second power play unit has scored within mere seconds after their power play has expired a number of times this season, including the last game in Edmonton. Arthur Kaliyev (+320), Viktor Arvidsson (+330), and Moore (+450) are decent long-shot bets to grab a power play point on Friday.
Gabriel Vilardi leads the Kings in goals (10), but he hasn’t scored – or picked up a point – in the last four games. I think that changes on Friday. He is +190 to score and -105 to register a point.
Brock Boeser is a consistent 20+ goal scorer in the NHL, but he hasn’t scored yet this season. He is +220 to get on the board. Andrei Kuzmenko is third on the Canucks with seven goals, he is +290 to score against LA.
Good luck, and enjoy the game!
Follow me on Betstamp @JWPatarino!
(Main photo credit: NHL.com)