by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Nov 14, 2022
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
Where to watch: SN, Bally Sports West
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Flames -165, Kings +140
FanDuel: Flames -156, Kings +130
BetMGM: Flames -161, Kings +135
Caesars: Flames -165, Kings +140
Season record
Kings: 10-6-1 (21 points)
Flames: 6-6-2 (14 points)
What an electric start to the NHL season. So much parity, so many good teams through the first 10-plus games, you have every right to be excited! Of course the Vegas Golden Knights and Boston Bruins are heading the fun charge here as the top two teams in the league, because of course they are. But never count out the Avalanche, you know they're always going to be hanging around and will be eating worlds once they get everyone healthy. But this is a good time to be playing these hockey games, as well. Look no further than our own Doc's Sports on a 14-7-0 run over the first 30 days of the NHL season. There's also ASA, Inc. posting a 12-5-1 mark through the first month. You know you can trust our champion handicappers to get you across the finish line with your NHL bets. Check out our Best Bets page at bigal.com to see what we're throwing down!
Kings - Flames preview, prediction and analysis
Recent results
Kings: won four straight; won 4-3 vs. Red Wings on Saturday
Flames: won 3-2 vs. Jets on Saturday
The Los Angeles Kings have put forth a fun little run here with four straight wins and are looking for a fifth with a trip to Calgary on deck to take on the run-of-the-mill Flames as we hit the middle of November.
The Los Angeles Kings have put forth a fun little run here with four straight wins and are looking for a fifth with a trip to Calgary on deck to take on the run-of-the-mill Flames as we hit the middle of November.
The Kings are coming off a successful 4-0 homestand after winning 4-3 against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, highlighted by the first multigoal game of Sean Durzi’s NHL career. Carl Grundstrom also scored 9 seconds into the game, and Kevin Fiala added his 5th goal of the year to hold off a late charge from the pesky, young Red Wings.
"With the passers we got on this team, it's pretty surprising it's my first one," Durzi said. "But a lot of great plays, got to credit my teammates."
The Kings have shown early on that last year’s run wasn’t a fluke as far as ensuring they are a tough team to play against. Los Angeles is 6-1-1 in its last eight games and has a lot looking good so far from the standpoint of good goaltending and timely scoring.
"It's a hard game when you score right away, like you don't want your teammates to get flat and think it's going to be an easy game," Kings forward Phillip Danault said after his two-assist night. "Almost was good that they score back after and got us right back in the game, and we just kept playing our game for 60 minutes solid, so I'm really proud of our boys tonight."
While the Kings are trying to keep this momentum going, no matter whom they have in net would seem to be a good thing. Cal Petersen and Jonathan Quick have continued to find ways to win and it’s making for this run very interesting to this point.
One team that could use a fun run is the Flames, who haven’t gotten off to the best start and had just lost seven in a row before their 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. Elias Lindholm and Adam Ruzicka had two points each, and the Flames got a much-needed win highlighted by Jacob Markstrom’s incredible double-pad stack/rolling save. This was Calgary’s first win since Oct. 25.
"You can talk about the effort and stuff like that, but we kept losing and losing, and obviously it's not good enough when you lose seven in a row," Lindholm said. "Today, we wanted to put a good game out there. Obviously, there are things we can do better, but we got the win and that's all that matters."
The Flames are currently going through a rough patch considering the Jonathan Huberdeau acquisition hasn’t panned out the way they had hoped, plus him being injured is not a good sign. You also wonder if this is the time that Darryl Sutter’s message has worn out in Calgary. For as well as the Flames did salvage this offseason with Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri, goaltending has let them down and scoring has not helped in this manner.
Prediction
I need one more win from the Flames to fully believe in them again. A win against the Kings would do just that. With L.A. coming off a homestand and traveling to Calgary, this could be a good opportunity for the Flames to get that kind of a win. Flames win 3-2
Betting trends
Kings are 14-6 on the road after a non-conference game the last two seasons.
Kings are 26-10 off two home wins by 1 goal since 1996.
Kings are 87-107 after winning 6 or 7 of their last 8 since 1996.
Flames are 18-18 at home following a home game the last two seasons.
Projected lines
Kings:
Adrian Kempe -- Anze Kopitar -- Gabriel Vilardi
Trevor Moore -- Phillip Danault -- Viktor Arvidsson
Kevin Fiala -- Rasmus Kupari -- Carl Grundstrom
Brendan Lemieux -- Blake Lizotte -- Arthur Kaliyev
Mikey Anderson -- Drew Doughty
Sean Durzi -- Matt Roy
Alexander Edler -- Sean Walker
Jonathan Quick
Adrian Kempe -- Anze Kopitar -- Gabriel Vilardi
Trevor Moore -- Phillip Danault -- Viktor Arvidsson
Kevin Fiala -- Rasmus Kupari -- Carl Grundstrom
Brendan Lemieux -- Blake Lizotte -- Arthur Kaliyev
Mikey Anderson -- Drew Doughty
Sean Durzi -- Matt Roy
Alexander Edler -- Sean Walker
Jonathan Quick
Flames:
Adam Ruzicka -- Elias Lindholm -- Tyler Toffoli
Dillon Dube -- Nazem Kadri -- Blake Coleman
Andrew Mangiapane -- Mikael Backlund -- Trevor Lewis
Milan Lucic -- Kevin Rooney -- Brett Ritchie
Noah Hanifin -- Rasmus Andersson
Nikita Zadorov -- MacKenzie Weegar
Dennis Gilbert -- Nick DeSimone
Jacob Markstrom
Adam Ruzicka -- Elias Lindholm -- Tyler Toffoli
Dillon Dube -- Nazem Kadri -- Blake Coleman
Andrew Mangiapane -- Mikael Backlund -- Trevor Lewis
Milan Lucic -- Kevin Rooney -- Brett Ritchie
Noah Hanifin -- Rasmus Andersson
Nikita Zadorov -- MacKenzie Weegar
Dennis Gilbert -- Nick DeSimone
Jacob Markstrom
Statistical leaders
Kings:
Points: Kevin Fiala -- 16
Goals: Gabe Vilardi -- 10
Assists: Kevin Fiala -- 11
Goalie: Jonathan Quick -- 6-4-2, 2.83 GAA, .904 SV%
Flames:
Points: Nazem Kadri -- 12
Goals: Nazem Kadri -- 7
Assists: Rasmus Andersson -- 11
Goalie: Jacob Markstrom -- 5-3-2, 2.88 GAA, .895 SV%
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Los Angeles Kings - Calgary Flames prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
