Sharks vs Kings

Adrian Kempe and the Kings come in riding a two-game home winning streak, while the Sharks just snapped their own brief slide with last night’s 5-2 win over Columbus to move to 21-18-3, leaving momentum fairly balanced but rest tilted toward Los Angeles after San Jose’s back-to-back. The Kings are banged up up front with Anze Kopitar, Joel Armia, and Trevor Moore all listed day-to-day, yet their current roster still rolls a deep forward group and a strong blue line that has held opponents to 2.63 goals per game, a clear edge over a Sharks team allowing 3.50 per night and missing key pieces like Logan Couture plus multiple defensemen on injured reserve. Historically, the matchup leans toward L.A.’s stars, with Kempe owning 9 goals and 11 assists in 34 career games against San Jose and Kopitar well over a point-per-game versus the Sharks, while Tyler Toffoli and Macklin Celebrini headline San Jose’s offense without the same long-term track record against this opponent. With both teams sitting on 45 points in a tightly packed Pacific Division race around the halfway mark, the Kings’ structured five-on-five game, home-ice advantage, and goaltending edge with Darcy Kuemper make them the more reliable side, even if San Jose’s improved form and youthful scoring punch keep this from being a slam dunk. The moneyline call is Los Angeles Kings -275 with a Grade of B, reflecting a high likelihood of a home win but limited monetary value at this price. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 07/01/2026 09:38. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/la/los-angeles-kings))

San Jose’s game environment has been wide open all season, with 3.10 goals scored and 3.50 allowed per game plus a recent run of 5-2, 7-3, 4-3, and 5-4 results that routinely push totals past six, while Los Angeles plays a tighter style at 2.66 goals for and 2.63 against but has still seen its last three home games land on 6, 7, and 9 total goals. The Sharks’ penalty kill sits in the bottom third of the league and their defensive injuries (including Couture and multiple blueliners on IR) have left Yaroslav Askarov facing heavy, high-danger workloads, a bad combination against a Kings lineup that can roll three scoring lines even with a mediocre power play conversion rate. Both meetings between these teams this season have finished 4-3, once for Los Angeles and once for San Jose, hinting at a matchup where the Kings’ structure can’t fully suppress the Sharks’ high-skill top six but San Jose’s porous defensive zone coverage gives L.A. plenty of looks. With the Sharks on the second night of a back-to-back and more likely to lean into their offensive strengths than try to grind out a low-event road game, pace and shot volume should be there for another 4-3 type scoreline. The recommendation is Over 6 at -125 with a Grade of B-, acknowledging the solid chance of seven-plus goals but docking the pick for the extra juice on the number. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 07/01/2026 09:38. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/sj/san-jose-sharks))

The way these rosters and recent results line up, the more attractive angle is on the margin: Los Angeles leans heavily on low-event, one-goal hockey, and both clashes with San Jose this season have ended 4-3, one win apiece, while the Sharks have gone 6-4 over their last 10 with an attack driven by Macklin Celebrini, Toffoli, and Philipp Kurashev that keeps them in games even when their own end gets messy. Despite significant injuries to Couture and several defensemen, San Jose has transformed from last year’s pushover into a competitive mid-tier team, and the Kings’ schedule is littered with 2-1, 3-2, and 4-3 decisions that show they’re far from a consistent multi-goal hammer even with a top-tier goals-against rate. With both clubs tied at 45 points and jostling in the middle of the Pacific playoff picture, divisional tension and coaching tendencies point toward a careful, playoff-style script where an empty-netter is more likely to create a one-goal sweat than a comfortable blowout. That combination of Kings’ edge to win outright but Sharks’ upgraded depth and goaltending stability makes San Jose +1.5 at -110 the preferred puckline side, earning a Grade of A- thanks to a strong probability of a one-goal finish at a fair number. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 07/01/2026 09:38. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/sj/san-jose-sharks))