Kings vs Ducks

The Kings limp into this one having dropped three straight and five of six, while the Ducks suddenly have two wins in a row after snapping a brutal 0-8-1 slide, but Anaheim’s surge is undercut by injuries that strip away a big chunk of its scoring. Leo Carlsson, who leads the Ducks with 44 points in 44 games, is out for 3–5 weeks, Frank Vatrano remains sidelined with a shoulder injury, and Petr Mrazek is on injured reserve, leaving Anaheim leaning heavily on Lukas Dostal and a thinner forward group; by contrast, Los Angeles’ core of Drew Doughty, Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala and Anze Kopitar is intact per the current ESPN rosters, even if their recent results have been underwhelming. Historically, Kempe and Fiala have been major problems for Anaheim — Kempe has produced multiple big nights against the Ducks at Honda Center and Fiala owns strong career goal numbers versus this opponent — while on the other side Carlsson and Mason McTavish have been Anaheim’s most dangerous weapons in this matchup, and one of those is unavailable tonight. With both teams hovering around the middle of the Western Conference pack near the season’s midpoint, this is effectively a four-point swing game, and the Kings’ top-5 defensive profile in goals allowed and shot suppression, combined with their healthier, more experienced spine, makes the short road underdog price of +100 more attractive than laying -118 on a shorthanded Ducks side. I’m grading Kings moneyline at +100 as a B pick: the recent form risk is real, but the combination of matchup edges and price gives enough value to back Los Angeles to grind out a response win. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 17/01/2026 10:24

Last night’s 3-2 shootout in Los Angeles fit the profile we’ve seen all season: Kings games tend to be tight and low-event, with Los Angeles ranking near the bottom of the league in goals scored but among the best in goals against and shots allowed, while Anaheim’s recent scoring has cooled despite its reputation for more chaotic hockey. The Ducks’ injury situation pushes this matchup even further toward a lower total — Carlsson’s 44 points in 44 games and Vatrano’s finishing punch are off the table, forcing Anaheim to lean on McTavish, Trevor Zegras and depth scoring against a Kings team that layers Doughty, Brandt Clarke and a deep veteran forward group in front of Darcy Kuemper. Even though Kempe and Fiala have historically done serious damage to the Ducks and Anaheim still has dynamic weapons of its own, the combination of Los Angeles’ structure, Anaheim playing the back half of a home-and-home, and both teams’ middling power-play rates suggests another game that looks more like last night’s grinder than a track meet, especially with midseason playoff positioning on the line. Getting Under 6 at +100 when the Kings’ defensive baseline already points below that number is enough for me to side with the under; I’ll grade Under 6 at +100 as a B+ pick given the stylistic matchup and the plus-money return. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 17/01/2026 10:24

The last two Kings–Ducks meetings have played to one-goal margins and shootouts, and with Anaheim now back at home but still missing Carlsson and Vatrano, everything points to another razor-thin Freeway Faceoff where effort and goaltending keep the Ducks within striking distance even if their depleted offense makes a blowout win unlikely. Dostal just turned aside 26 shots in last night’s comeback and has shown he can hold Los Angeles to modest totals, while Anaheim’s remaining core — McTavish driving the middle, Zegras as a creator, and veterans like Ryan Strome and Mikael Granlund — is still good enough to trade chances with a Kings team that has struggled to close games despite owning the better defensive metrics. Given the rivalry context, the Ducks’ recent emotional boost after ending their long losing streak, Anaheim’s solid home form, and the fact that both teams sit in that 10th–11th range in the Western Conference where every point is magnified, this profiles as another one-goal contest far more often than it does a multi-goal Kings runaway. I like the idea of backing Los Angeles on the moneyline while protecting against another tight finish by taking Anaheim +1.5 on the puckline at -220, graded as a B- pick because the win probability is high but the juice trims the monetary upside. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 17/01/2026 10:24