by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Jan 14, 2023
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Where to watch: MSGSN, BSW
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Kings -115, Devils -105
FanDuel: Kings -120, Devils +100
BetMGM: Kings -120, Devils +100
Caesars: Kings -120, Devils +100
Season record
Devils: 27-12-3
Kings: 25-14-6
We’ve hit the halfway mark in the NHL season. Yes, you read that right. We’re really hit that halfway mark that quickly. If you blinked, you probably missed a lot of good things happen in the hockey world. And with football about to be out of the way, look for our champion handicappers to get back on the rink. Oskeim Sports is on a 13-5-0 run in the NHL over the last 30 days, as is Will Rogers. Sean Murphy has also cashed in with a 16-10-0 run in the last month. Make sure you’re following our champion handicappers at bigal.com to get on this winning action!
Devils - Kings preview, prediction and analysis
Recent results
Devils: won 6-2 at Ducks
Kings: won 4-3 vs. Sharks
Not since the days of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final has a matchup between the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings been this fun this late in the season. The two teams will meet on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena as two of the top teams in their respective conferences.
The Devils are coming in on a three-game winning streak, the most recent game being a 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday to kickstart this Southern California back-to-back. Jack Hughes scored twice and had an assist, while Jesper Bratt added two goals himself for the Devils, who kept pace with the Carolina Hurricanes near the top of the Metropolitan Division, trailing by two points.
"It's hard to win games consistently on the road," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said of his team starting the year a league-best 16-2-1 on the road. "It's something you've got to put in your pocket and know that your team has found a lot of different ways to win games."
While the initial surprise and shock from the Devils jumping out to run roughshod through the league has sort of worn off, the Devils still find themselves 6-3-1 in their last 10 and continue to show they can put up those kinds of numbers whenever they want.
"A lot of the years before we had some good, tough players and we had some edge on the team, but this year, I think from goalies all the way out to our fourth line, we're doing a great job," Bratt said. "We're really wearing teams out and playing really fast and really quick hockey right now."
The Kings are also coming into this game on a 3-game winning streak and are the ones pushing the Vegas Golden Knights the hardest in the Pacific Division standings. Though the Seattle Kraken are right behind them as well, Los Angeles is two points behind the Golden Knights despite playing one more game.
Los Angeles is coming off a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks thanks to two goals in 53 seconds from Gabriel Vilardi and Drew Doughty. Quinton Byfield also scored, and Pheonix Copley had 27 saves in the effort.
"'Cops' has been unbelievable in his couple games here," Byfield said. "We trust him a lot. It allows you to make a couple more offensive plays, just to know you've got a guy like that back there."
While the Kings may still be fighting for respect of their own, they’ve gotten some quality wins in recent memory. There’s a 3-2 win over Dallas, shortly followed by a 5-1 win against Vegas just a week ago. Los Angeles has found a way to be humble and win big games.
"Well, it wasn't our finest game, honestly," Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan said. "I didn't think that we had the details or the commitment to winning that was needed. … There were some areas of the game, I thought we cheated it a little bit, and we clearly need to have a practice or two, which we will get, but when you're not playing your best, it's nice to find a way to win."
Prediction
There’s something about what the Kings are doing right now that comes off as exciting. Though they haven’t been as red-hot as one would think, getting that win streak has been a good reprieve from years past. The Devils are for real and they’ll show it. Devils 5, Kings 4
Betting trends
Devils are 15-3 on the road when the total is 6 or more this season.
Kings are 36-26 in the second half of the season the last 2 seasons.
Kings are 31-19 in non-conference games the last 2 seasons.
Projected lines
Devils:
Ondrej Palat -- Nico Hischier -- Jesper Bratt
Erik Haula -- Jack Hughes -- Tomas Tatar
Miles Wood -- Yegor Sharangovich -- Fabian Zetterlund
Jesper Boqvist -- Michael McLeod -- Dawson Mercer
Jonas Siegenthaler -- Dougie Hamilton
Ryan Graves -- Damon Severson
Nikita Okhotiuk -- Brendan Smith
Vitek Vanecek
Kings:
Quinton Byfield -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe
Alex Iafallo -- Phillip Danault -- Viktor Arvidsson
Kevin Fiala -- Blake Lizotte -- Gabriel Vilardi
Brendan Lemieux -- Rasmus Kupari -- Jaret Anderson-Dolan
Mikey Anderson -- Drew Doughty
Sean Durzi -- Matt Roy
Alexander Edler -- Sean Walker
Pheonix Copley
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this New Jersey Devils - Los Angeles Kings 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.
