The hottest team in the NHL looks to continue its winning ways on Thursday night as the Pittsburgh Penguins stay on the West Coast to battle the Los Angeles Kings. But the Kings won't make things easy as they're gunning for a return to the playoffs after a three-year absence.
NHL betting lines opened with the Pens as -145 road favorites for this contest with the Over/Under at 5.5. Here are our best free Penguins vs. Kings NHL picks and predictions for January 13.
Penguins vs Kings odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Penguins opened as -142 road favorites for this contest with the Over/Under at 5.5. The line has seen modest movement, with Pittsburgh shifting to -145 as of 11 a.m. ET. The last time these teams played was almost two years ago when the Kings won 2-1 as +174 home underdogs.
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.
Penguins vs Kings predictions
- Prediction: Penguins moneyline (-145)
- Prediction: Under 5.5 (-110)
- Best bet: Penguins moneyline (-145)
Predictions made on 1/13/2022 at 11 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Penguins vs Kings game info
• Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
• Date: Thursday, January 13, 2022
• Puck drop: 10:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN+
Penguins vs Kings betting preview
Injuries
Penguins: Jason Zucker LW (Out), Zach Aston-Reese LW (Out), Brock McGinn LW (Out), Danton Heinen LW (Out), Bryan Rust RW (Out), Casey DeSmith G (Out).
Kings: Carl Grundstrom RW (Out), Christian Wolanin D (Out), Martin Frk RW (Out), Alexander Edler D (Out), Andreas Athanasiou LW (Out), Sean Walker D (Out), Alex Turcotte C (Out), Lias Andersson C (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Penguins vs Kings head-to-head record
Penguins: 4-2, 18 goals for.
Kings: 2-4, 16 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Penguins are 11-1 in their last 12 games overall. Find more NHL betting trends for Penguins vs. Kings.
Penguins vs Kings picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Moneyline analysis
The Penguins had their ten-game winning streak snapped when they began a Western Conference road trip with a 3-2 loss in Dallas on Saturday. However, they bounced back with a 4-1 victory over the Ducks on Tuesday night.
Superstar center Evgeni Malkin made his season debut in dramatic fashion in that contest, scoring two goals and adding a helper to prove that he's fully recovered from offseason knee surgery. Pittsburgh is now 21-9-5 and has the sixth-best point percentage in a highly competitive Eastern Conference.
The Kings haven't been pushovers themselves, having won four of their past five games and going 8-3-1 since December 9. Los Angeles has an 18-13-5 mark overall and has the ninth-best point percentage in the West, hot on the heels of the Stars and Ducks.
A big reason for the Kings' success lately has been their solid play in nets, with L.A. ranking seventh in the league in goals per game allowed with 2.58. That number might be a bit misleading, however, with veteran Jonathan Quick having a 3.84 GAA and .861 save percentage in his last five starts and young Cal Petersen looking fairly average with a 2.70 GAA and .904 SV% in 13 games this season.
Regardless of who starts between the pipes, they'll face plenty of pressure behind a Kings lineup that ranks 29th in the league in high danger chances allowed per 60 minutes in 5-on-5 play.
The Kings are near the bottom of the NHL across the board when it comes to 5v5 hockey analytics, ranking 28th in the league in goals for per 60 minutes (2.11) and 25th in goal for percentage (44.39%). They've been just as bad on special teams, where they sit 25th in power-play percentage and 26th on the penalty kill.
The Penguins have been far more impressive in all those areas. They rank sixth in the NHL in GF/60 in 5v5 play (2.73), are fifth in goal for percentage (55.75%), and have gotten stellar play in nets from Tristan Jarry, who is 18-6-4 with a 1.91 GAA with a .932 SV%.
Although Pittsburgh is missing a few key players (especially on the left wing, where Jason Zucker is recovering from an injury and three others are on the COVID-19 Protocol List) this is a team that's been decimated by injuries all season and has still continued to win. The return of Malkin is a big boost both offensively and emotionally, and there's no reason to fade the red-hot Pens against a Kings team that isn't quite as good as their recent record indicates.
Prediction: Penguins moneyline (-145)
Over/Under analysis
Jarry has been nothing short of outstanding this season and has been extremely consistent, allowing two goals or fewer in 15 of his last 17 games. It's little wonder that despite the Penguins scoring at a decent clip the Under has cashed in 10 of Jarry's previous 14 starts.
The Kings are among the Bottom-10 teams in the NHL when it comes to goals per game with 2.72 and they have relied on Quick and Petersen to keep them in games. The Under is 10-4-1 in their last 15 games overall while going 19-9 in their previous 28 contests at home.
With both of these squads struggling to score with the man advantage, and Pittsburgh boasting the best penalty kill unit in the league, all signs are pointing towards another Under.
Prediction: Under 5.5 (+100)
Best bet
Considering how sizzling-hot Pittsburgh has been and the immediate impact that Malkin made on Tuesday, this line looks like great value. Sure the Pens are on the road but they're 6-1 in their last seven away games and while L.A. has enjoyed some recent success of its own, the Kings overall production has been inferior across the board. Grab the favorites on the moneyline at a decent price.
Pick: Penguins moneyline (-145)
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