The Los Angeles Kings (18-9-3) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins (13-14-5) on Tuesday, December 17th. This game will be played at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh and televised on ESPN+. The Penguins are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Kings are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Blackhawks. Puck drop is set for 7:00 ET.

Kings vs Penguins

The Los Angeles Kings Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

After a 4-3 loss to the Blackhawks, the Kings are now 18-9-3. Los Angeles led 3-2 until Chicago tied it with just 31 seconds left in regulation.

The Kings were favored on the puck line, but failed to cover. The total was set at 6 goals, and the combined 7 goals pushed the game over the line.

The Pittsburgh Penguins Are Coming Off A Win

Pittsburgh moved closer to the .500 mark with a 3-1 road win over the Canadiens, improving to 13-14-5 this season. The Penguins, favored by -1.5 goals, covered the puck line, and the total of 4 goals fell short of the 6.5 set before the game.

Sidney Crosby led the way for Pittsburgh, scoring their first two goals. Blake Lizotte added an empty-netter to seal the victory. The Penguins’ defense held the Canadiens scoreless until the 3rd period.

Los Angeles Offense Breakdown

Alex Laferriere netted his 7th and 8th goals of the season, with his first coming on a power play at 16:03 in the first period. Phillip Danault added his first goal of the season, scoring at the 8:12 mark in the third period.

Kevin Fiala contributed with two assists, bringing his season total to 5. The Kings fired 40 shots on goal but were hindered by 13 giveaways.

Penguins Offense Breakdown

Sidney Crosby led the way for the Penguins with two goals, including his 4th and 5th of the season. He found the net for the first time at 4:03 into the first period and later added a power-play goal at 1:20 in the second. Blake Lizotte scored his 2nd goal of the season on an empty net with just 45 seconds left in the game.

Pittsburgh registered 24 shots on goal and recorded 14 giveaways. Lars Eller picked up his 3rd assist of the season on Lizotte’s empty-netter, while Kris Letang earned his 3rd assist and Erik Karlsson notched his 7th, both on Crosby’s power-play goal.

Los Angeles Team Defense

The Kings’ defense struggled late, giving up three goals in the 3rd period, including the tying goal with just 31 seconds left. Goalie Darcy Kuemper made 18 saves with a save percentage of 85.7%.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Defensively, the Penguins will look to carry over their performance from their last game, where they allowed just one goal to the Canadiens. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves with a 96.2% save percentage. Pittsburgh’s defense also contributed 5 takeaways, 19 hits, and 19 blocks.

Kings vs Penguins Trends

• When looking at their past three road matchups, Los Angeles has an puck line record of 2-1 while averaging 3 per game. The team went 2-1 overall in these games.
• Across the Penguins last ten home games, the team averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 3. Their record vs the puck line in these contests was 5-5, while going 5-5 straight-up.
• Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Penguins have gone 2-1 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-2.
• In their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Kings have a straight up record of 7-3 and an puck line mark of 5-5.

Kings vs Penguins Prediction

When it comes to a moneyline wager, I’m going with the Penguins to defeat the Kings while playing at home. Given the current moneyline odds at +119, I’m placing a wager on the Penguins to win outright.

If you’re looking to get a bet down on this matchup, we foresee the Penguins winning the underdog. However, if you’re not as confident in the Penguins straight-up, we’d still recommend placing a bet on them to cover the puck line.

For those looking at the over/under line set at 5.5 goals, our expectation is that this game will surpass that mark, and we suggest making a bet on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.