Sharks vs. Kings Odds
| Sharks Odds | +315 |
| Kings Odds | -410 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 -138o / +112u |
Here's everything you need to know about San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings NHL odds and picks for Monday, January 22.
The Kings enter this matchup in the midst of a 2-6-4 free-fall, which has brought up the shocking possibility of missing the playoffs altogether. Their offense has scored only 2.16 goals for per game in those 12 matchups, which caused Todd McLellan to shuffle the lines last week.
Oddsmakers aren't sold that the Kings' form has dipped the way their recent record suggests, though, as they are a -400 favorite Monday versus lowly San Jose, and still priced at -115 to record over 100.5 points this season.
Here's my Sharks vs. Kings preview and pick.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks managed a rare win over the Ducks Saturday, as they scored five goals from 19 shots en route to a relatively unconvincing win.
They allowed 34 shots against, which actually comes in slightly below their league-worst average of 34.73 over the last month. They have allowed 3.80 xGA/60 over the last month and own a league-worst 3.99 xGA/60 on the season.
Captain Logan Couture made his season debut in Saturday's matchup, logging one assist in 15:49 of time on ice. His presence centering the second line does not necessarily raise San Jose's floor much for the time being, as Mikael Granlund had filled that role well prior to being injured on January 16th.
Mackenzie Blackwood is the Sharks' probable starting goaltender in this matchup, though the final decision does not hold much weight, as the gap in form between he and Kaapo Kahkonen has closed this season. Blackwood has played to a -1.6 GSAx and .894 save % in 30 games.
Los Angeles Kings
Attempting to gauge how much L.A.'s form has really dropped off is a bit of a hard proposition, but even a somewhat pessimistic viewpoint suggests the Kings are still clearly a top-eight team out West. They have lost 10 of their last 12, however, four of those were games ended in the 3-on-3 and overtime novelty settlements.
They have also faced a notably tough slate. Out of the Kings' last 12 games, the Capitals are the only side they have faced that is currently outside of the playoffs, and based on points percentage even the Caps would be in. In those games, the Kings have scored on only 7.22% of shots taken across all strengths, which has helped cause a lowly 2.12 goal for per game average.
McLellan opted to shake up his even-strength forward lines last week, as he moved Pierre-Luc Dubois up to the top line with Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar.
Dubois' dreadful form this season has become a more prominent talking point now that the Kings are hitting a wall offensively. While Quinton Byfield is playing drastically better hockey and had occupied that role effectively, it is not surprising to see the team making an effort to get Dubois going.
They paid a hefty price to acquire Dubois, sending Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari to Winnipeg, who have all been excellent for the league-leading Jets. He's set to hold an $8.5 million cap hit until 2030-31.
David Rittich is confirmed to make a third-straight start in goal for the Kings. He has played to a +7.0 GSAx and .937 save % across 7 appearances.
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Sharks vs. Kings
Betting Pick & Prediction
The Kings' recent dip in form looks to be more of a stretch of poor puck-luck than anything else. At the offensive end of the ice in particular, they appear due for some positive regression in terms of their finishing rates. A matchup at home versus the league's worst team should help them find offensive stabilization, and I do expect the Kings to generate four or more goals tonight.
A price of -144 for the Kings to cover the puck-line looks right, though, and there is not much value in attacking them as a side as a result.
What does stick out to me is looking to target Dubois, as he looks to find his game on the top line in such a favorable matchup. Dubois appears set to remain alongside Kempe and Kopitar at even strength, and I believe his numbers have not been adjusted enough, particularly in a matchup versus the Sharks.
By no means am I arguing that Dubois has earned a chance on a better line with strong play, but it is also fair to say that spending the vast majority of his time alongside Alex Laferriere and Anderson Dolan did not help him find his offensive game. He's averaged only 15:00 per game, which has certainly hurt his scoring and shot production.
Nobody is trying to sell you that Dubois has played well this season, and we don't have to believe he has to like his props tonight. You won't find many skaters playing on a quality top line facing San Jose with props priced as Dubois' are tonight. A matchup at home versus the Sharks is a great opportunity for Dubois to show some semblance of his former self.
He is priced at +124 on FanDuel to record over 2.5 shots on goal, which I would play down to +115. He is priced at -110 to record a point on DraftKings, which I would play to -115. My suggestion would be to split a unit between the two props if both are available, or pick the best number of the two that you have access to.
Pick: Pierre-Luc Dubois Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+124 at FanDuel, Play to +115) | Over 0.5 Points (-110 at DraftKings, Play to -115)
