- 1 Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks: one home win in five, and Kempe, Fiala and Zuccarello all missing
- 2 Los Angeles Kings: a 64.9% penalty kill and a top line rebuilt on the fly
- 3 San Jose Sharks: 4-3-1 on the road, with Celebrini five games without a goal
- 4 Free NHL Prediction: Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks: one home win in five, and Kempe, Fiala and Zuccarello all missing 
Adrian Kempe scored the first goal of the Kings’ season series with San Jose, on the power play at SAP Center on 3 October. He won’t be on the ice for the second meeting. Kempe sat out Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat to Buffalo with an undisclosed injury, and he joins Kevin Fiala, Mats Zuccarello, Alex Turcotte and Jakub Dvorak on the Los Angeles injury list.
The rematch is at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday 4 November, puck drop at 10:00pm ET. Los Angeles are 4-7-2 and 1-4-0 at home, and their only home win came on Thursday, 6-5 in overtime against Ottawa. Two nights later Buffalo won there on Tage Thompson’s power-play goal with 6:20 to play.
San Jose won the first meeting 5-4 in overtime. Igor Chernyshov scored twice, including the winner at 3:18 of the extra period, Macklin Celebrini had two assists and Yaroslav Askarov made 31 saves. The Kings scored twice on the power play that night, through Kempe and Quinton Byfield, and Erik Haula and Artemi Panarin added goals in the third period, but it wasn’t enough.
The Sharks are 7-7-1 and have dropped three of their last four, most recently 5-1 at home to Ottawa on Saturday. They host Calgary on Monday before the short trip south, so they’ll have a day between games, while the Kings will have had three days off since the Buffalo loss.
Rest favours Los Angeles. Almost everything else in this preview points the other way, and that’s why we’re siding with the road team.
Los Angeles Kings: a 64.9% penalty kill and a top line rebuilt on the fly 
Artemi Panarin carries the Kings attack. He went into the weekend with 8 goals and 13 points, and Alex Laferriere had 7 assists. On Saturday Peter Laviolette put Martin Chromiak, making his NHL debut, on the top line with the two of them, and Chromiak played 17:31 with one shot on goal.
Los Angeles have scored 36 goals and allowed 45 in 13 games. The worst nights came early: 8-4 in Colorado on opening night, then 4-1 home losses to Edmonton and Boston in the space of four days. They’ve scored only once in six of their 13 games.
The penalty kill is the number that stands out. It was killing 64.9% of penalties heading into Saturday, and Buffalo then scored twice on three power plays, including the winner. San Jose scored on the power play through Toffoli in the first meeting.
Goaltending has split between Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg. Kuemper has four wins but several heavy nights, while Forsberg’s goals-against average is lower; he made 28 saves on Saturday and took the loss. Forsberg also started the 5-4 overtime defeat in San Jose in October, making 20 saves.
There was some fight in the Buffalo game. Corey Perry’s power-play goal survived a goaltender-interference review, Andre Lee tied it 1:29 into the third period, and Laviolette said afterwards that his team had generated plenty without finding the next goal. Brandt Clarke was listed day-to-day after the hit that drew Hayden Hodgson a two-game suspension.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
San Jose Sharks: 4-3-1 on the road, with Celebrini five games without a goal 
Celebrini hasn’t scored in five games. He has two assists in that stretch, and his longest goalless run last season was six games, which happened three times. His line with Will Smith and Collin Graf was still San Jose’s best against Ottawa on Saturday.
The road record is better than the home one. San Jose are 4-3-1 away from SAP Center, with wins in St. Louis, Nashville, Montreal and Ottawa. Three of the four road wins came in overtime or a shootout, and the fourth was the 6-2 in Ottawa.
Michael Misa scored the lone goal against Ottawa, a tap-in set up by Jacob Trouba and Kiefer Sherwood. Misa has been used at center, and Toffoli, who had a goal and an assist in the first meeting with the Kings, is on the second power-play unit alongside Misa and Trouba.
Alex Nedeljkovic made 30 saves against Ottawa and gave up a goal the local coverage called soft. Askarov’s 31-save night against the Kings in October is the obvious reference point for Wednesday. Alexander Wennberg is injured, which thins the center depth behind Celebrini and Misa.
Ryan Warsofsky didn’t hide from Saturday’s result. “We were just slow all night,” he said after the Ottawa game, and San Jose had already been shut out 2-0 at home by Buffalo on 27 October. A 3-2 win over Vancouver in between is their only victory in the last four.
Probable lineup Los Angeles Kings: Not announced at time of publication (Artemi Panarin, Alex Laferriere, Quinton Byfield, Corey Perry expected; Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Mats Zuccarello out; Darcy Kuemper or Anton Forsberg in goal)
Probable lineup San Jose Sharks: Not announced at time of publication (Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Collin Graf, Michael Misa, Tyler Toffoli expected; Alexander Wennberg out; Yaroslav Askarov or Alex Nedeljkovic in goal)
Free NHL Prediction: Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks
Our prediction: San Jose Sharks to win (overtime included)
The Kings are 1-4-0 at home, their penalty kill is under 65% and three regular scoring forwards are out. San Jose have already beaten this team once, they’re 4-3-1 on the road, and the first meeting needed overtime and a second Chernyshov goal to settle it.
We accept that San Jose’s form isn’t good. Three defeats in four games and a cold Celebrini are real concerns, and the Kings will be the fresher team. But a Los Angeles side held to one goal in six of its 13 games, missing Kempe and Fiala, isn’t one we’d trust as a home favourite.
No price had been posted for this game at the time of writing. We expect San Jose to be the underdog, and we’d back them, overtime included, at 2.10 or better.
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
_________
About our free predictions
- What we publish on MathOdds are analyses, nothing more. We share a view, a reading of the moment, but never a guarantee. Sport remains what it is: unpredictable. A red card, an injury, a last-minute goal, and the script changes completely.
- Let’s be clear: there is no such thing as a risk-free bet. Even when it looks “obvious”, nothing ever is. And yes, that means you can lose. It’s even inevitable at some point.
- The smartest approach is to stay reasonable. Bet small, set a budget and stick to it. Never use money you need to live on. And above all: don’t chase your losses: that rarely ends well.
- A bet should remain a game, not a job or a source of income. If it starts taking up too much space in your daily life, causes stress or frustration, take a break. And if needed, talk to a support organisation: that’s what they’re there for.
- Ultimately, responsibility lies with you. Reading our content means accepting that risk exists and will never disappear, no matter how good the analysis.
- Essential reminder: gambling is prohibited for minors and must comply with the laws of your country. Need help? Visit begambleaware.org.
No commitment from us
Our predictions carry no contractual value. They have no legal standing. In short: you cannot rely on them to claim anything if a bet doesn’t come through.
Information changes
A prediction is always based on what we know at the time of writing. But between publication and kick-off, a lineup can change, a player picks up an injury, the weather turns, and the analysis can quickly be outdated. We cannot be held responsible for that.
Your responsibility
Before placing a bet, simply check that gambling is legal in your country. If it isn’t, that’s your responsibility, not ours.
Responsible gambling
We can’t say it enough: gamble responsibly. If you’re struggling to stay in control, don’t wait to seek help.
Legal age
MathOdds content is intended for adults only. By browsing here, you confirm you meet the legal age requirement for gambling in your jurisdiction.
About visuals
The images and logos of Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks on MathOdds are used solely to illustrate our articles. They do not imply any official affiliation with a federation or sports organisation, and we claim no rights over them. Those rights belong to their original owners. If any visual raises a concern, contact us and it will be removed without delay.
Leave a Reply