Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
Los Angeles Kings vs Chicago Blackhawks: Are the Kings playoff bound?
The Los Angeles Kings are visiting the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Friday.
The Kings are holding on in the playoff zone
The Los Angeles Kings are seventh in the Western Conference with a 33-21-11 record. They have lost three of the last five games and are coming off a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. The Kings are third in the league, allowing only 2.60 goals per game, and are ranked 20th, scoring 3.02 goals per game. Kevin Fiala leads the Kings with 57 points, four more than Anze Kopitar.
The Blackhawks can focus on the next season
The Chicago Blackhawks are 15th in the Western Conference with an 18-43-5 record and are already eliminated from the playoff race. The Blackhawks have won the last two games which is only the second time this season to win consecutive games. Chicago is 29th in the league allowing 3.55 goals per game and is the worst offensive team in the league scoring only 2.18 goals per game. Connor Bedard leads the team with 51 points so far in the season.
Betting Trends
Los Angeles has won 4 of the last 5 games against Chicago. The Kings are 6-12 SU in the last 18 road games and 1-5 SU in the last 6 games against teams from the Western Conference. The Blackhawks are 4-16 SU in the last 20 games overall, 3-9 SU in the last 12 home games and 5-15 SU in the last 20 games against teams from the Western Conference.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Kings have had many ups and downs this season but are still in the top half of the Western Conference. They have been struggling in the last week with consistency and lack of efficiency. The Blackhawks are already eliminated from the playoff race and may finish with the worst record in the league this season. They haven’t won three consecutive games this year, and that will stay the case after this game. The Kings are among the top defensive teams in the league, while the Blackhawks are the worst offensive ones. That will be obvious tonight, as the Kings will take home the victory.
