Kings vs. Devils Odds
| Kings Odds | +100 |
| Devils Odds | -120 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -110 / -110 |
Here's everything you need to know about the Los Angeles Kings vs. New Jersey Devils on Thursday, February 15 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
The Kings and Devils both entered the 2023-24 campaign with plenty of promise, but neither has had an ideal campaign, which makes every point all the more important as the two squads battle to stay in the postseason picture.
Let's preview the upcoming contest and offer a Kings vs. Devils prediction.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings were in the mix for the top spot in the Western Conference by Dec. 27 with their 20-7-4 record, but that seems like a distant memory by now. LA has gone 4-9-6 since that point. The squad did earn back-to-back wins against Nashville and Edmonton on Jan. 31 and Saturday, respectively, but the Kings fell right back down with an embarrassing 7-0 loss to the middling Sabres.
Dating back to Dec. 28, LA ranks 29th offensively with 2.32 goals per game. During that stretch, 82 different players have recorded at least 15 points. None of them play for the Kings. Adrian Kempe is the closest with six goals and 14 points across his past 19 outings. This is all in stark contrast to LA's first 31 contests in which the team provided 3.58 goals per game while five of their players (Anze Kopitar, Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Quinton Byfield and Trevor Moore) each averaged over 0.8 points per contest.
If Talbot was still playing like he was earlier in the campaign — he had a 14-8-3 record, 2.10 GAA and .925 save percentage through 25 games — then the Kings might have done a better job enduring their offensive collapse. However, Talbot has fallen right along with his teammates, posting a 4.69 GAA and an .860 save percentage over his past eight appearances.
The only Kings player who was still rolling was David Rittich. But he surrendered five goals on 17 shots to Buffalo before being pulled after two periods Tuesday, so even he's not completely immune.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils can certainly relate to goaltending woes as their 3.44 goals allowed per game (26th in the NHL) clearly demonstrates. They have gotten clutch goaltending recently from Nico Daws, who won his last two starts while saving 57 of 60 shots (.950 save percentage), but he's still 5-5-0 with a 3.02 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 10 games overall, so the 23-year-old isn't necessarily a reliable answer.
Vitek Vanecek isn't any better. He might not be available Thursday due to a lower-body injury and an illness, but even when healthy, his 3.18 GAA and .890 save percentage make him a less than ideal option.
New Jersey's goaltending issues are significant, but another big issue has been injuries. The Devils are 52 games into their schedule and their top three scorers from last season (Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Dougie Hamilton) have gone from missing a combined five contests in that campaign to 59 so far in 2023-24. Additionally, Timo Meier and Ondrej Palat have been limited to 39 and 42 appearances, respectively, further thinning the Devils' attack at times.
Hamilton is still gone and his absence is sorely felt, but the good news is New Jersey's forward corps is now largely healthy. That's a big problem for LA because when the Devils are at 100%, there are few teams that can match their scoring prowess, as evidenced by the Devils ranking ninth offensively this year with 3.38 goals per game despite all the setbacks.
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Kings vs. Devils
Betting Pick & Prediction
Combining the Devils' offense with LA's struggling goaltending might make things messy for the Kings, especially with LA unlikely to be able to respond in kind due to its own ailing attack.
At least on paper, the Kings are still a solid team, and I wouldn't write off a comeback in the late stages of the campaign.
Still, given how they've done lately, coupled with New Jersey's relative health, I believe the Kings' will ultimately fall short tonight.
Pick: Devils ML (-120 | Play Down to -130)
