Anaheim Ducks vs Los Angeles Kings

Leo Carlsson has already torched Los Angeles once this season with a three-point night in Anaheim’s 5-4 shootout win, but his recent absence (Granlund centering the top line in Seattle with Carlsson injured) and the Ducks’ skid of five losses in their last seven tilt the rematch slightly toward a desperate Kings group at home. Anaheim still sits atop the Pacific and owns a solid 9-8-2 road mark behind a deep forward group that includes Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Chris Kreider and Troy Terry, all confirmed on the current ESPN roster, yet their recent wobble and uncertainty around Carlsson’s status make taking a short road dog less attractive than backing LA at home. The Kings, despite dropping five of six overall and three straight at Crypto.com Arena, still have veteran firepower in Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Quinton Byfield and Anze Kopitar (all active on the ESPN roster) and should benefit from a focused response after their special teams and offense sagged in a 3-1 loss to Columbus. With Darcy Kuemper still on injured reserve, Los Angeles is leaning on Anton Forsberg, but Anaheim isn’t fully healthy either and has relied heavily on Lukas Dostal and Ville Husso after both dealt with injuries earlier in the month, so the goaltending matchup isn’t a clear advantage for the Ducks. Given Anaheim’s narrow recent wins in this rivalry (two straight shootout victories) and LA’s slight underlying edge at five-on-five plus home ice, the Kings at -140 offer a modestly priced favorite that I grade as a B: more likely than not to hit, but with only average monetary upside compared to a richer plus-money dog. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 27/12/2025 09:39

This rivalry has recently swung between tight goaltending duels and wild track meets, but Anaheim’s profile this season leans strongly toward offense, with the Ducks sitting atop the Pacific and ranking near the top of the league in goals and goals per game after outbursts like their 7-1 demolition of Chicago and multiple seven-goal efforts in the first third of the season. Los Angeles, meanwhile, has a nearly even goal differential (90 for, 91 against) and one of the league’s weakest power plays, yet their games have still seen swings in scoring, from a 2-1 shootout loss to Anaheim last February to the 5-4 shootout defeat to the Ducks on November 28 and a recent 3-1 home loss to Columbus in which their penalty kill was exposed. With Kuemper still on IR and Forsberg handling the crease, the Kings’ defensive ceiling is a bit lower than usual, while Anaheim’s attack remains deep even if Carlsson is less than 100 percent, thanks to McTavish, Kreider, Terry and others confirmed on the active roster. At the same time, Anaheim has shown defensive leaks during its current run of five losses in seven, including an 8-3 hammering by Dallas and a 3-1 defeat in Seattle where they still generated 40 shots, pointing toward high-event hockey more often than not. The combination of Anaheim’s aggressive offense, LA’s shaky recent defensive form and the rivalry’s history of shootouts nudges me to the Over 6 at -115 with a B- grade: a slightly better-than-coin-flip edge but with enough volatility, given both teams’ occasional low-scoring grinders, to keep it just below a full B. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 27/12/2025 09:39

Given that the last two Freeway Faceoffs have both ended in Ducks shootout wins (2-1 in LA last February and 5-4 in Anaheim on November 28), backing Anaheim to stay within a goal again at +1.5 on the puckline makes a lot of sense even with their recent 5-of-7 slide. The Ducks’ current mark of 21-14-2 and top spot in the Pacific reflect a team that generally plays competitive, close games, and their 9-8-2 road record combined with a deep forward corps (Carlsson, McTavish, Kreider, Terry, Alex Killorn and more all active on the ESPN roster) supports the idea that they can trade chances with LA even if they don’t control the entire run of play. Los Angeles’ 15-12-9 record hides some worrying trends: a 4-8-4 home mark, a negative goal differential and that three-game home losing streak, plus continued reliance on Forsberg while Kuemper sits on injured reserve, all of which increase the likelihood that, even in a Kings win, Anaheim can keep things to a one-goal margin. The Kings still bring plenty of top-end talent in Kempe, Fiala, Byfield and Kopitar and are rightly favored on the moneyline, but the combination of Anaheim’s recent dominance in the head-to-head, the Kings’ home struggles and the Ducks’ ability to generate offense from multiple lines makes Ducks +1.5 at -220 a high-probability but juice-heavy position that I grade as a B+: strong likelihood of cashing, though the steep price caps the raw monetary value. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 27/12/2025 09:39