Kings vs Panthers Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight

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11 January 2024

Kings vs Panthers Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight

The Kings and Panthers come into this game on total opposite trajectories, with Los Angeles in desperate need of a W. Despite taking loss after loss L.A. is still playing teams close, and our NHL picks believe the Kings are a bad matchup for Brandon Montou

Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The hottest team and coldest team meet tonight when the Florida Panthers put their eight-game win streak on the line against a reeling Los Angeles Kings' side that has lost six in a row. It's no surprise NHL odds have labeled the Cats as favorites for this tilt.

No team wants to lose six straight, but if we take a closer look at said losses, we can see it's not like the Kings have been getting rag dolled. Five of the six games have been decided by one goal, and although I'm not confident enough to back Los Angeles on the road, I am going to take to the NHL player props to see how I can fade the Panthers.

Find out which Florida skater I'll be targeting in my free NHL picks for the Kings vs. Panthers on January 11.

Kings vs Panthers odds

Kings vs Panthers predictions

Despite the Los Angeles Kings nose diving in the standings, they still have some of the best metrics in the league. They surrender just 27 shots per game (third best) and at 5-on-5, they're giving up an NHL-best 20.51 shots per game per Natural Stat Trick. Their 4.9 shots allowed on the PK isn't as pretty, but it's still in the top half of the league.

This could be big though as the Kings give up just 8.6 penalty minutes per game while the Florida Panthers are one of the most undisciplined franchises in the league with 12.2 per game. If Florida is spending most of its time in the box or on 5-on-5, we could see that shot total take a dip.

Over the six-game losing streak, L.A. has given up an uncharacteristically high 33.1 shots per game, but outliers against the Red Wings (43 shots allowed) and Capitals (41) have ballooned the numbers. If you remove those two games, that number falls to 28.7 per game, highlighted by letting just 22 shots get on net against Tampa Bay in the Kings' last outing.

The Panthers are second in the league in shots on goal, but as we saw against Tampa (10th in shots per game), the Kings have the bodies to keep the puck away from the net. With that said, I'm going to target a Panthers' player who I think has too high of a shot total.

Defenseman Brandon Montour has a shot total of 2.5 with the Over paying plus money, but I'll gladly drink the juice to take the Under. He's eclipsed that total just three times over his last 10 games and twice during this eight-game win streak. Now he goes against an L.A. team that is fantastic at suppressing shots and will be playing desperately to end this losing streak.

All those factors are playing into why his Under is paying at -122, but for a guy averaging two shots per game over his last 10 and just 2.25 on the year, it's not enough juice to scare me away. You could look at the Unders on other Florida players as well, but for tonight's game, I'm picking on Montour.

My best bet: Brandon Montour Under 2.5 shots on goal (-122 at Pinnacle)

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Kings vs Panthers same-game parlay

Brandon Montour Under 2.5 shots on goal

Kings +1.5

Under 6.5

As I mentioned before, this six-game losing streak is not a good reflection of just how good the Kings are. Los Angeles is 13-3-2 on the road and should hinder the Panthers enough to keep this game close.

I'm also going with the Under here, as I don't expect Florida to get many high-danger chances against the Kings. Los Angeles' offense is also in a rut right now and doesn't seem to have the capability to drag any team above a 6.5-point total. Four of L.A's six losses have seen five or fewer goals while six of Florida's eight wins have seen six or less.

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Kings vs Panthers moneyline and Over/Under analysis

If you wanna know how good the Kings are, the books opened them up as just a +115 underdog on the road against a Panthers team that has racked off eight wins in a row. Early money went Florida's way, with the Cats hovering around -140 faves as of writing.

As for the total, most books opened it up at a flat 6.0 with plus money on the Under. For those that opened at 6.5, the plus money was on the Over. I went with 6.5 to give my SGP some extra cushion, but both numbers are still available.

Both teams have been Under machines on the year, with L.A. posting a 13-23-1 O/U record and Florida sitting at 15-25.

Kings vs Panthers betting trend to know

The Kings have only hit the first-period Over in 40 of their last 81 games (-15.15 Units / -13% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Kings vs. Panthers.

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