The Washington Capitals (9-2-5) travel to meet the Los Angeles Kings (8-5-2) Wednesday at Staples Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Capitals vs. Kings odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.
The Capitals forced overtime at the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday, but fell 3-2. That snapped a four-game win streak for Washington. The good news for potential Caps bettors is that they are 5-1 in the past six working on no rest.
The Kings were also tripped up 3-2 in overtime last time out, falling Friday at the Winnipeg Jets to close out a four-game Canadian road swing. L.A. won the previous three games, and is a sparkling 7-0-1 across the past eight.
Capitals at Kings odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:47 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Capitals -105 (bet $105 to win $100) | Kings -115 (bet $115 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Capitals -1.5 (+205) | Kings +1.5 (-300)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -102 | U: -122)
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Capitals at Kings projected goalies
Ilya Samsonov (4-0-1, 2.93 GAA, .894 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Cal Petersen (4-2-1, 2.84 GAA, .902 SV%)
Samsonov gets the nod after Vitek Vanecek backstopped the Anaheim game. Samsonov has yet to taste defeat in regulation this season. He turned aside 26 of the 29 shots last time out in a 4-3 win at the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Petersen was on the short end of that 3-2 OT loss in the ‘Peg, and each of his three games in November have been decided by a 3-2 score in overtime, winning two of them.
Capitals at Kings odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Kings 3, Capitals 2
Money line
The KINGS (-115) are worth playing at home. Each of Petersen’s past three games have been 3-2 scores, and the Capitals lost Tuesday by the same count. That’s the predicted score here, too.
Los Angeles is the play as it enters with a whopping 11-0 win streak against Eastern Conference teams.
Against the spread
The alternate line of CAPITALS +1.5 (-350) is a little too expensive for my liking normally. Five of the past seven for the Kings have been decided by one goal, and five of the past eight for the Caps have been one-goal games. It’s not a bad play.
Over/Under
The UNDER 5.5 (-122) is the way to go here. The Caps are 5-2-1 to the Under across the past eight against winning sides, while the Kings have hit the Under in 11 of the past 13 at home, and six of the past seven overall. The Under is also 8-2 in the past 10 against Eastern Conference squads.
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