The Los Angeles Kings took a point versus the Oilers last night but things will be a little more difficult with the Pacific-leading Calgary Flames on deck for tonight at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Can the Flames build on their six-point lead over the Kings atop the West’s Pacific or will L.A. steal another point in Alberta and move up the Western standings? Find out in our free NHL picks and predictions for Kings vs. Flames.
Kings vs Flames odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
Calgary opened as -250 favorites and have since moved to -300 with a total of 6.0 leaning to the Over. The Flames won the last meeting in L.A., 3-2, as -150 road favorites.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Kings vs Flames predictions
Predictions made on 3/31/2022 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Kings vs Flames game info
• Location: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
• Date: Thursday, March 31, 2022
• Puck drop: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports, Sportsnet
Kings vs Flames betting preview
Key injuries
Kings: Drew Doughty D (Out), Blake Lizotte F (Questionable), Andreas Athanasiou F (Out), Dustin Brown F (Out).
Flames: No injuries to report.
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Kings vs Flames head-to-head record
Kings: 5-5 SU, 28 goals for.
Flames: 5-5 SU, 30 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Flames are 10-2 SU in their last 12 games playing on one day of rest. Find more NHL betting trends for Kings vs. Flames.
Kings vs Flames picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Puck line analysis
Since the end of January, the Calgary Flames have been the best team in the league with a 19-5-2 record and a 77% point percentage.
They’re being led by the league’s best goals against average at 2.42 and Jacob Markstrom is 15-3-2 over that stretch with a 2.17 GAA and a .926 SV%. He’s been even better at home with a 2.02 GAA across 32 starts. The Flames’ starter made 40 saves in a 3-2 win in Los Angeles back in December.
Offensively, Calgary is being carried by its top line of Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm and Johnny Gaudreau. The trio has produced 45 of the team’s 104 goals over the last two months which is good for a 43% goal share. They are tough to match up against on the road, but even more difficult at home with the last change.
Playing against a Kings team that took a shootout defeat in Edmonton last night also gives the home side a big advantage. L.A. is 4-7 straight up in its last 11 and has just two regulation wins across its last 12.
The Kings are scoring just 2.60 goals per game this month which is a Bottom-4 mark and offense could be hard to find against the stingiest home team in the Western Conference.
They also roll into tonight’s meeting extremely thin on the blue line. Drew Doughty is out which hurts the most, but Mikey Anderson and Matt Roy are missing the action.
The first defensive pairing for the visitors consists of Tobias Bjornfot and Sean Durzi. This inexperienced defense could certainly be outmatched by the Flames’ scoring talent on the top lines but also could be beat up physically as they have big bodies throughout the lineups.
With Johnathan Quick starting last night in Edmonton, Cal Petersen is likely getting the nod tonight for the visitors. Petersen is 2-3 SU in his last five starts and has been awful in those three losses as the goalie allowed 15 goals. He took the 3-2 loss in the last meeting and gave up a pair of powerplay goals.
The Flames seemingly have the advantage in nearly every aspect of this matchup and that’s why the Calgary moneyline has moved from -250 to -300. It has been a -300 or more favorite seven times over the last 40 days which means this number isn’t too long.
Hitting the Flames on a team total might be the better move here but they're just too tough at home and if they can score four, they can still cover this puck line.
Prediction: Flames -1.5 (-110 at bet365)
Over/Under analysis
Since the All-Star break, the Flames are scoring 3.81 gpg which is the fourth-best mark in hockey. The top line has been unstoppable and now at home, Darryl Sutter should be able to keep them away from the Phillip Danault line. The Tkachuk-Lindholm-Gaudreau trio has 42 combined points over the Flames’ last 10 games.
The Kings come into this game having gone 5-0-1 to the Over across their last six games. The offense has shown some flashes over that stretch with three or more goals scored in four of those games, but the goaltending has been porous and could be in trouble tonight with Petersen likely to start and the defense looking real thin.
Calgary doesn't need power plays to score goals as it sits fourth in the league in goals at 5-on-5. The PP does have six goals over its last nine games, but it has been the team’s play at even strength that has powered the offense. Defensively, Los Angeles sits 20th in expected goals against at even strength and allows the seventh-most high-danger shots.
Hitting an Over with Markstrom in the crease is always a little scary but he is 11-9-5 to the Over in his last 25 starts. The Flames could certainly do the heavy lifting for this Over which could still hit even with the Kings being held to just two goals.
The total is starting to creep up and we’re seeing why. This is a great matchup for the home side's offense and we’re hitting the Over 6.
Prediction: Over 6 (-115 at bet365)
Best bet
The Kings couldn’t slow down the Oilers’ top two lines last night and will have another difficult task tonight with the Flames’ top six. L.A. is thin on the blue line — down three starters — and will likely be running out Petersen in the net who has allowed at least four goals in three of his last five starts.
Calgary's team total is correlated to the full-game total which, at 6.0, is giving us a great price for its team total Over 3.5 at -155. Compared to the -300 moneyline price, this is the better option in our opinion.
Pick: Flames team total Over 3.5 (-155 at DraftKings)
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