NHL Predictions: April 3rd Los Angeles Kings vs Utah Hockey Club

Season Series: Kings 2-0 Utah

Time: 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

TV: Utah16; FanDuel Sports Network Southwest; ESPN+

Los Angeles (42-23-9) and Utah (32-29-12) meet on Thursday for their third and final matchup of the season. Los Angeles won the previous two meetings over Utah 3-2 and 5-3. Clayton Keller has been the story for Utah all year. The captain leads the team with 80 points (25 goals, 55 assists) and is looking to break his career-high of 86 points set in 2022-2023. Darcy Kuemper has been a surprise for the Kings. In 41 games, he is 26-10-7 with a .919 SV% and a 2.08 GAA. Furthermore, an impressive 17 of his wins have come at home.

Utah Hockey Club Playoff Hopes Withering Away 

This has been an up and down season for Utah. Inconsistent play and injuries have been their downfall, but they still barely remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. Utah is eight points behind the Minnesota Wild for the final wild card position in the Western Conference. Right now, they have a 0.7% chance of making the playoffs, per Moneypuck. Recently, every St. Louis Blues win quickly decreased Utah’s post-season hopes. The Blues are now on a ten-game winning streak.

Although Keller has been Utah’s best player, goaltender Karel Vejmelka is a big reason why his team is not out of the playoff race yet. Vejmelka has started in 18 consecutive games and has still posted a .905 SV% and a 2.56 GAA. The netminder has 23 wins in 52 games played this season. Also, Utah may be without defenceman Olli Maatta, who missed Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury.

Los Angeles Aiming for Pacific Division Title

With eight games left in their season, Los Angeles is in a dogfight for bragging rights in the Pacific Division. The Kings are currently just five points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first place. Los Angeles has been the best home team in the entire NHL this season, winning 28 games on home ice. They also rank second in the league in goals against per game with 2.49, making them a top defensive team. They head on the road to take on a team that will not quit on the playoff race. Los Angeles has scored 12 goals in the last two games, while only allowing two.

NHL Predictions

Vejmelka is projected to start in his 19 straight time for Utah, while Kuemper is expected to start for Los Angeles. Utah is 5-4-1 in their last ten games, while Los Angeles is 7-3-0. Keep an eye on Dylan Guenther, who leads Utah with 26 goals, 12 of them while on the power play. For the Kings, look out for forward Andrei Kuzmenko. After being traded twice this season, Kuzmenko seems to have finally found a home in Los Angeles. He has nine points (four goals, five assists) since coming to the Kings and has been on their top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe.

Barring any significant changes to the standings that favors Utah, it is unlikely they make the playoffs. Still desperate for points, Utah will need to play every game like it is their last and Vejmelka must stand tall. However, Kuemper and the Kings defence will be too difficult for Utah to break through.

Prediction: LA wins 5-1

Prop Bet of the Night

With the wide margin of victory predicted, taking the Kings to cover is a smart, first choice (+198). If we throw in anytime goal scorers, Dylan Guenther and Quinton Byfield, it’s paying nearly +3K. When we say get, you say got it.

Main Photo Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

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