Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks: Who wins the Cali battle?
The San Jose Sharks are hosting the Los Angeles Kings today at SAP Center.
The Kings are struggling lately
The Los Angeles Kings are sixth in the Western Conference with an 11-7-3 record, including 5-5-2 on the road. They have lost 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 2-1 win over the Seattle Kraken. The Kings are 17th in the league scoring 3 goals per game and are ranked eighth allowing 2.67. Anze Kopitar leads the team with 23 points so far in the season.
Another disappointing season for the Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are 15th in the Western Conference with a 6-12-5 record, including 4-5-1 at home. They have lost 6 of the last 7 games and are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The Sharks are 28th in the league scoring 2.43 goals per game and allowing 3.44. Mikael Granlund leads the team with 24 points so far in the season.
Betting Trends
The Sharks are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games overall, 5-14 SU in their last 19 home games and 3-16 SU in their last 19 games against teams from the Western Conference. San Jose has played under the total goal line in 8 of their last 11 games against teams from the Pacific Division and over in their last 5 games played on Monday. The Kings are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games overall, 2-4 SU in their last 6 games on the road and 1-5 SU in their last 6 games played on Monday. Los Angeles has played under the total goal line in 4 of their last 5 games overall, and 4 of their last 5 games as favorites.
Prediction and Conclusion
These two teams split the first two meetings this season, and now the Kings have won 8 of the last 10 head-to-head games. Los Angeles had a rough week and will need to make up for the losses in order to stay in the top half of the Western Conference standings. The Sharks are near the bottom of the conference as usual, and their recent form does not look promising at all. The Kings will push hard in this one and take home the win.
