NHL: Los Angeles Kings vs New York Islanders Prediction, Odds & Best Bets

The Los Angeles Kings (16-4-3) come to Long Island to take on the New York Islanders (11-7-7) tonight. LA sits in 2nd place of the Pacific Division and have yet to lose on the road this year. They come in on an impressive 11-game road winning streak that they'll look to keep alive.

Goaltender Cam Talbot has been a real bright spot for the Kings and their hot start to the year. He has a 12-4-1 record with an impressive 1.84 GAA and .933 save percentage. Both stats rank top of the league and tonight may be a good night to pad those stats.

LA's offense has been nothing sort of electric. They are leading the lead for goals scored per game with 3.87. They rank 4th in the league for shots on goal per game as well as shooting percentage. This team is an offensive powerhouse, and the Islanders struggle on defense, so perfect matchup for the Kings.

The team is led by 5 players with 20+ points so far this season. Adrian Kempe, Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala lead the team in points. Fiala and Kempe lead the way in assists with 17 and 16 each. Trevor has been a scoring machine, leading the team with 13 goals. The team is 8-2-0 in their last 10 games and looking to keep their 3-game winning streak going.

Can the Islanders find some defense and make this a game?

One of the weakest parts of this Islanders team is their lack of defense. For years, their offense always struggled, and defense was their strong point. This year, they have been holding their own offensively, but losing games to lack of defense.

Don't get me wrong, the Isles offense hasn't been anything spectacular, but has been getting the job done. They rank 20th in the league for goals scored per game with 3 but rank 22nd in the league for shots on goal per game with 30.

The other big problem for the Islanders is that they can't seem to finish games out. They have blown numerous 3rd period leads this season. Going up against a team like the Kings, if they have a lead going into the 3rd – they will need to play some shutdown defense to defend that lead.

Ilya Sorokin will be in net tonight for the Islanders. The star goaltender has had some rough outings this year, having a record of 6-4-6. He has a 3.19 GAA and a .911 save percentage as well. You can see by his record that the overtime losses have been a killer. His save percentage is able to be where it is because he's averaged the 3.19 GAA over 40+ shots sometimes.

The Isles will look to stand strong tonight and protect their goaltender. It's going to take a lot for them to control the Kings. Let's take a look at the odds and talk about some plays. One may not surprise you.

Betting Odds

Puck Line

• Los Angeles Kings -1.5 (+168)
• New York Islanders +1.5 (-205)

Moneyline

• Los Angeles Kings -146
• New York Islanders +122

Totals

• Over 5.5 (-134)
• Under 5.5 (+110)

Odds courtesy of MyBookie

Game Information

• Venue: UBS Arena, Elmont, NY
• Date: Saturday, December 9, 2023
• Puck Drop: 7:30pm EST
• TV: MSGSN, BSW

Los Angeles Kings vs New York Islanders Prediction and Picks

Prediction and Pick: Los Angeles Kings Team Total O3.5 Goals (+116)

I really like this play for the value. I see the Kings lighting the Islanders up tonight (unfortunately). The Kings offense is so good and with the way the Islanders defend – this could be an easy cash. The Isles already allow 3.2 goals per game, so this is attainable.

I do like the over in this game, but for who the Islanders are playing plus the value, then give me the team total. Sorokin has a tough time playing teams like this for the lack of defensive support he gets. I expect him to see upwards of 40 shots tonight like he did against Florida 2 starts ago.

The Kings are going to fire the puck tonight and odds are manhandled the Islanders. I hate to go against my team, but we have to be realistic here. We're going to take the plus chicky and root for LA goals.

Player Prop: Ilya Sorokin O30.5 Saves (-120)

We're going back to the well. This play has cashed for us numerous times so far this year and we have another great spot for it. It's going to be a long night for Sorokin, so might as well capitalize on it.

He has hit this number in 6 of his last 7 games. He had a minimum of 32+ saves in all 6 of those games. He even had a 40+ save game twice in that span as well. And you know something…I think tonight he sees that number again.

I'll be laddering his saves all the way to 40 for +600 0dds. Sprinkling of course the whole way, but I think we see an intense workload for Sorokin. This could get sweaty, but who doesn't love a good sweat!

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