This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Picks for January 31: Kings vs. Hurricanes
The Los Angeles Kings (28-18-6) finish up a 5-game road trip at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. against the Carolina Hurricanes (32-9-8) on Tuesday night, one of three games on the NHL slate.
After attending the San Jose Sharks-Carolina Hurricanes game last Friday, a game which my son Joe was fortunate enough to meet his favorite player Timo Meier, it will be a little bit anticlimactic checking out this contest. Of course, we're also sitting in Row A, so that will be nice.
These teams met at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles back on Dec. 3, a 4-2 victory in favor of the visiting Hurricanes. Rookie Pyotr Kochetkov outdueled Jonathan Quick, but neither of those gentlemen are expected to be in between the pipes.
Kochetkov was shifted back to Chicago of the AHL once Frederik Andersen was deemed fully healthy, and The Great Dane has been on fire since he was activated after a two-month absence due to a lower-body injury.
Andersen (10-3-0, 2.38 GAA, .909 SV%) was nicked up in Dallas last Wednesday, sustaining a minor upper-body injury. He bounced back against Boston on Sunday, and he is now 5-0-0 with a 1.88 GAA and .934 SV% in 6 starts since coming off the injured reserve list.
The Kings are expected to counter with Pheonix Copley (15-3-0, 2.82 GAA, .901 SV%). He has picked up three consecutive wins on this road trip in Chicago, Philadelphia and Florida, and he has managed a 7-2-0 record, 3.08 GAA and .896 SV% in 10 January starts.
In the first meeting, Brady Skjei, Martin Necas (power-play goal) and Sebastian Aho notched goals against Quick to build a 3-0 lead through two periods. Arthur Kaliyev of the Kings notched a power-play goal to put a dent in the lead, but Andrei Svechnikov had a goal less than three minutes later to restore order. Samuel Fagemo had a late goal, but the damage was already done.
Look for the Hurricanes, and the red-hot Andersen, to hand the Kings a loss on the final game of their road trip. A puck line bet is worth a half-unit play, as the money line has no value, but it could potentially take an empty-net goal late to inch this one across the finish line.
NHL Moneyline Bets for Kings vs. Hurricanes
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- Hurricanes PL (-1.5, +125 at BetMGM)
The Hurricanes cashed the Under last time out against the Bruins, and the Under is 2-1 across the past three outings. However, the Over is 10-3 in the past 13 games overall for Carolina, including 4-1 in the past five games against Western Conference teams.
The Kings are on a 3-0 Over run, allowing 11 total goals across the past three games (3.7 GPG). Los Angeles has cashed the Over in five straight against Eastern Conference foes while going 7-1 in the past eight against Metropolitan Division teams.
The Over is on an 8-2-1 run in the past 11 games for L.A., while hitting at a 5-1-1 clip in the past seven games on the road. The Over is 4-1-1 in the past six against winning teams, too.
NHL Totals Bets for Kings vs. Hurricanes
- Over 6 (-105 at BetMGM)
NHL Player Props for Kings vs. Hurricanes
For player props, we'll take a look at one player on each side in this Western Conference vs. Eastern Conference matchup.
Los Angeles veteran rearguard Drew Doughty has been red-hot for the Kings lately, posting a goal with nine points across the past nine games. He has a helper in four of the first five games on the current trip, and he is a good bet to etch his name onto the scoresheet with at least another apple.
- Drew Doughty Over 0.5 Points (-112 at FanDuel)
Carolina's All-Star Aho has been running hot lately, lighting the lamp seven times in the past four games. He also lit the lamp in L.A. in the first game back on November, too. As an anytime scorer at plus-money, with a chance to almost double up, what's not to like?
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- Sebastian Aho Anytime Goal Scorer (+182 at FanDuel)
