The LA Kings welcome the NHL’s top team to town when the Boston Bruins visit Los Angeles on Thursday night.

Projected Lineups

LA Kings (22-13-6)

Here’s how the Kings lined up for Tuesday’s win over Dallas:

The Kings did not practice on Wednesday, so we don’t know if Trevor Moore or Arthur Kaliyev will be available for this one. Stay tuned to news from the morning skate.

Boston Bruins (29-4-4)

The Bruins did skate on Wednesday in El Segundo:

The most notable absence in this is Jake DeBrusk, who suffered a leg injury during the NHL Winter Classic.

5-on-5

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

Team CF% xGF% SCF% HDCF% SH% SV% PDO
Boston Bruins 52.5 55.2 54.4 55.8 8.8 0.937 1.026
Los Angeles Kings 51.8 52.9 52.1 52.5 8.1 0.908 0.989

Boston is again one of the better possession teams in the league and, oh, by the way, are getting the best goaltending at 5-on-5 this season, led by Linus Ullmark, who leads the NHL in wins (19), save percentage (.939) and, per MoneyPuck.com, GSAx (21.5).

Special Teams

Team PP% PK%
Boston Bruins 27.0 85.1
Los Angeles Kings 23.5 72.2

The LA Kings will have their work cut out for them on Special Teams. Boston has the league’s sixth-best power play and number-one penalty kill.

Betting Odds

Let’s look at the odds, courtesy of Betstamp.

*Note: the odds below are for sports books offered in New York. Refer to available sports books specific to your state.

**Odds as of 10:30 am ET/7:30 am PT may have changed since this was published.

Via Betstamp

For the second game in a row, the LA Kings will be home underdogs. You can get them a +135 at a few different books, while if you like the visiting Bruins, BetRivers’ -152 is the best price.

The total on the game is six, with BetRivers offering the Over at -104 while a handful has the Under at -110. We’re seeing a lot more “6” for totals in Kings games lately as opposed to the 6.5 or 7 we saw earlier. The play of Pheonix Copley is surely playing a hand in that.

News & Notes

  • This will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams. In the first game, Adrian Kempe‘s two third-period goals erased a 2-0 deficit before Trevor Moore won it in the shootout. The Bruins held a 47% advantage in shot attempts and expected goals at 5-on-5 (per Natural Stat Trick).
  • Boston hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down this season. They are 7-0-3 in their last ten games. Their +57 goal differential is far and away the best in the NHL.
  • A player that has taken a fair amount of heat on the Kings this season has been Sean Walker. However, his play, particularly lately, hasn’t exactly warranted it. He currently leads all Kings defensemen (who have played at least ten games) in primary assists, primary points, and shot contributions per 60 minutes. Over his last ten games, he has a 53% CF% and 65% xGF% at 5-on-5 (per Natural Stat Trick).
  • Fellow defenseman Sean Durzi has struggled a bit during that same ten-game timeframe. He’s registered just two assists (both on the power play) while having a 48% CF% and 46% xGF% at 5-on-5 (per Natural Stat Trick).
  • The Kings enter Thursday’s game not only in second place in the Pacific Division but third overall in the Western Conference.
  • With Kevin Fiala living up to expectations, it seems Anze Kopitar‘s run of leading the team in scoring will come to an end this season. In 2022-23, the Kings’ Captain has 11 goals and 30 points. Over his last ten, he’s scored just one goal and two assists.
  • Los Angeles doesn’t play back-to-back games until December 21st and 22nd, and this could be an opportunity to continue to ride the hot hand of Pheonix Copley in goal. He is now 9-1 with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.

(Main Photo Credit: Winslow Townson / Associated Press)

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