Blackhawks vs. Kings Odds
| Blackhawks Odds | +280 |
| Kings Odds | -360 |
| Over / Under | 6 -115o / -105u |
Here's everything you need to know about the Chicago Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, April 18 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
Blackhawks vs. Golden Kings odds have Los Angeles as a -350 favorite on the moneyline, while the over/under is set at 6 goals. With such a massive price tag on the favorites, we have to get creative in how we will back the Kings in this contest.
We will head to the player prop market and make a Blackhawks vs. Kings pick for Thursday.
Chicago Blackhawks
This is a meaningless game for Chicago, and I expect to see some unique line combinations and for coach Luke Richardson to give "lesser" guys more looks to experiment for next season. While that is good for evaluation purposes, it will likely lead to a tough outing for a team that is already terrible defensively.
At 5-on-5, the Hawks rank 30th in the league in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60). Not only does this team bleed high-danger scoring chances at even strength, they also struggle on special teams, ranking 26th in penalty-kill percentage.
Therefore, it is not surprising that this group ranks in the bottom four of the league in both goals allowed per game and shots on goal allowed per game. That makes life difficult for goaltender Petr Mrázek, who just allowed six goals in his last start against Los Angeles a month ago.
Los Angeles Kings
That brings us to Kings forward Kevin Fiala, who should be a great candidate to find the back of the net for Los Angeles on Thursday. Fiala enters this contest in great form, scoring in five of his past eight games.
Not only is he second on the team in goals, but he also leads the team in power-play goals. Based on what I mentioned earlier, that special teams success is likely to come into play Thursday.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Fiala has scored nine times across his past 14 games against Chicago. While he is most likely to score on special teams in this matchup, Fiala is also a massive threat to score at even strength. At 5-on-5, he ranks second on the team in expected goals.
Blackhawks vs. Kings
Betting Pick & Prediction
With Los Angeles' odds set at -350 and its puck line at -130 in a game in which the total is six, we can presumably expect four or more goals from the Kings in this outing. That is more than doable, given they have scored five or more goals in each of their two outings against the Hawks this season.
On the other hand, Chicago has allowed four or more goals in four of its past five games. If Los Angeles is to score four or more once again, I wouldn't be shocked if Fiala is involved, especially considering his recent form and propensity to score on special teams.
Pick: Kevin Fiala Anytime Goalscorer (+130 at BetRivers | Play to +125)
