LA Kings vs Ottawa Senators projected lineup, betting preview

The LA Kings hope to find some consistency back home as they host the Ottawa Senators in the first of four in a row at Crypto.com Arena.

Projected Lineups

LA Kings (12-9-2)

Here’s how the Kings lined up during their 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Friday:

Tonight's @LAKings Line Rushes –

Fiala – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Danault – Arvidsson
Vilardi – Lizotte – Grundstrom
Anderson-Dolan – Kupari – Kaliyev

Anderson – Doughty
Durzi – Roy
Edler – Walker

Quick
Petersen

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) November 26, 2022

Coming off a nice win on the road, I don’t know that I’d expect to see any changes. That includes between the pipes, where head coach Todd McLellan has seemed comfortable rewarding a good performance. There isn’t a back-to-back situation, so I’d expect Jonathan Quick on Sunday.

Ottawa Senators (7-12-1)

Here is how the Senators skated during Saturday’s practice:

#Sens today in El Segundo

Tkachuk-Stutzle-Giroux
DeBrincat-Pinto-Batherson
Motte-Brassard-Joseph
Kelly-Kastelic-Watson
Gambrell extra

Chabot-Zub
Sanderson-Hamonic
Brannstrom-Holden
Thomson extra but it's a rotation. He may play.

— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) November 26, 2022

Ottawa beat writer Bruce Garrioch also noted that Cam Talbot will get the start on Sunday in goal.

It’s been a disappointing start to the season for the Sens, despite an exciting offseason that saw them add Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat to their lineup, in addition to inking star forward Tim Sutzle to a long-term deal. That said, this is still a dangerous team, and top defenseman Thomas Chabot has returned to the lineup recently.

As always, keep an eye out for Sunday’s skate updates for any possible lineup changes.

5-on-5

Here’s how the two teams match up at 5-on-5 per Natural Stat Trick

Ottawa is probably deserving of a slightly better record this season, given their possession numbers at 5-on-5,

Special Teams

What makes the Senators’ record even more puzzling is not only are they an above-average 5-on-5 team, but their special teams have performed well also. At 24%, their power play ranks 10th in the NHL, while their penalty kill is middle of the pack (16th) at 79%. DeBrincat leads the team in power play points (8), while Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, and Shane Pinto all lead the Sens with three goals while on the man advantage.

The Kings now have power play goals in back-to-back games, inching them into the top 20 in the league (19th) at 20.5%. LA killed off all three of San Jose’s power play attempts on Friday, but overall the penalty kill is in the bottom ten in the league at 75.3%.

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 9 am ET/6 am PT may have changed since this was published.

The LA Kings are home favorites in this one with WynnBet offering the best number at -154. If you like the underdog, BetRivers’ +138 is where to shop to place a wager on the Senators. Most of the totals in the market are 6.5 with a few books offering the Under at -115. For Overs bettors, there is an Over-6 out there at BetRivers (-122).

DraftKings Player Props

Sponsored by DraftKings (promo code THPN)

I’m going back to the Adrian Kempe well here for the Kings. He has gone without a goal in his previous five games and just one in his last 13. Meanwhile, during that 13-game stretch, Kempe is first on the Kings in Individual Corsi-For (iCF) at 5-on-5 and 15th among all forwards in the NHL in that category (per Natural Stat Trick). His 32 shots on goal at 5-on-5 are 16th in the league among forwards. The puck will start falling for him, and he is +125 to score on Sunday.

If Kempe scores, Anze Kopitar and/or Kevin Fiala are the likely ones to set him up. They are +110 and +125 respectively to pick up an assist.

Shane Pinto has been a player that’s caught my eye whenever I’ve watched the Sens. They’re a team with some star power these days but he flies under the radar. He’s effective on the power play as well. Pinto is +340 to score and +575 to register a power play point.

LA Kings 2020 second overall pick Quinton Byfield may forever be linked to Tim Stutzle, as the German forward was picked right after Byfield. So far in 2022-23, Stutzle has eight goals and 20 points in 20 games. He is -150 to pick up a point on Sunday.

Good luck, and enjoy the game!

Follow me on Betstamp @JWPatarino!

(Main photo credit: NHL.com)