Washington Capitals at Los Angeles Kings odds, picks and predictions
The Washington Capitals (10-6-2) face the Los Angeles Kings (13-3-3) on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's lines around the Capitals vs. Kings odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Capitals have struggled in the past 2 games, including a 2-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Monday to kick off their 5-game road trip on the wrong foot. That came on the heels of an embarrassing 5-0 home loss against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night. The Under has cashed in the past 2 games, and the total has gone low in 13 of 18 games overall.
The Kings are coming off a shutout win against the visiting Montreal Canadiens last time out on Saturday, and Los Angeles has picked up 5 straight victories overall. The Under is 4-1 in those games, too. In addition, L.A. has covered the puck line as a favorite in each of the past 4 wins, with each game decided by 3 or more goals.
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Capitals at Kings odds
FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:04 a.m. ET.
Capitals at Kings projected goalies
Darcy Kuemper (4-4-2, 2.95 GAA, .894 SV%) vs. Cam Talbot (10-3-1, 2.02 GAA, .931 SV%, 1 SO)
Kuemper was on the short end of a 2-1 loss in San Jose, although he did a decent job. The veteran allowed just 2 goals on 23 shots in the loss, and he has a 1-2-1 record with a respectable 2.99 GAA and .875 SV% in 4 November starts.
Talbot has been on a roll lately, winning 3 straight starts while allowing just 4 total goals on the past 92 shots. Since flipping the calendar from October to November, Talbot is 6-1-0 with a 1.57 GAA and .947 SV% with 1 SO.
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Capitals at Kings picks and predictions
Prediction
Kings 5, Capitals 2
The Kings (-215) will cost you more than 2 times your potential return, and that's quite expensive despite the fact the Capitals (+176) have struggled offensively, while Los Angeles has been winning games lately by large margins.
PASS, and look to the puck line instead.
The KINGS -1.5 (+114) are a much better play, cashing on the puck line as the favorites in each of the past 4 games.
The Capitals +1.5 (-137), on the other hand, are struggling lately, but they have posted a pretty impressive 4-1 mark in the past 5 games as underdogs, including 3 outright victories. This is a team which still has future Hall-of-Famer LW Alex Ovechkin and a lot of prideful veterans, so be careful.
The OVER 6.5 (+114) is worth a look at plus-money, but be careful.
Again, Washington has scored just a single goal in the past 2 games, and that's against sub-.500 teams Edmonton and San Jose.
Still, Los Angeles has averaged 4.5 goals per game in the past 4 outings, and it won't take much help from Washington to get this one across the finish line.
