Face-off: 2230 ET, 04/04/2022
Arena: Crypto.com Arena
Los Angeles shaded Calgary 3-2 after a shootout in Canada last week, so it is a little surprising to see them chalked up as underdogs on home ice.
The Kings have since won by the same scoreline at Winnipeg, whereas the Flames suffered another home defeat when going down 6-4 against St Louis.
We think 2.45 for LA on the money line is hard to resist in our Los Angeles Kings vs Calgary Flames predictions.
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Los Angeles Kings Odds
Los Angeles will struggle to overhaul Calgary at the top of the Pacific Division table as they are still three points behind, having played three games more.
However, a 9-4-3 stretch has put them ahead of Edmonton and Vegas in the battle for automatic places in the play-offs.
Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe each had a goal and an assist against the Jets on Saturday, while goalie Cal Petersen impressed with 25 saves.
Head coach Todd McLellan was more than happy to pick up five points from a three-game road trip to Canada, having earlier lost 4-3 in overtime at Edmonton.
“This was a tough run,” said McLellan. “Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg are not easy places to play for a lot of reasons.
“Each one of the teams is a little bit different. They all have superstars who are game-breakers. Tough buildings to play in. Not an easy travel schedule.”
With injury problems slowly clearing up, the Kings could still be lively outsiders for a shot at Stanley Cup glory.
Alex Iafallo has scored in both previous meetings with Calgary this term, so 4.0 he nets at any time again tonight takes the eye from the NHL odds.
Calgary Flames Odds
Calgary will be a little concerned by their form during a 4-4-2 run from the last 10 outings and Saturday’s loss to the Blues made it three games without a win.
To be fair, the Flames outshot St Louis 43-25 and looked the better team for large parts of that match, only for high-pressing tactics to prove costly.
Winger Milan Lucic commented: “We lost coverage a few times. It’s coverage that we’ve been really good at all year. We’ve just gotta clean it up.
“It’s a matter of sticking with it. If you get frustrated and start trying to do too much and do someone else’s job, that’s when you get away from your game plan and identity.”
Heading out onto a four-match road trip may not be a bad thing to help Calgary refocus, especially with winnable visits to Anaheim, San Jose and Seattle following this contest.
For now, Andrew Mangiapane has scored 21 of his 30 goals away from home and was on target at this venue in early December.
The 26-year-old is 2.8 to net again at any time here and that is worth adding to our NHL predictions.
Additional stats
Last result:
Winnipeg 2-3 LOS ANGELES
CALGARY 4-6 St Louis
Season head-to-head: Calgary 2-3 Los Angeles, Los Angeles 2-3 Calgary
