Sharks vs Kings Betting & Picks (Jan. 11): Los Angeles Completes Season Series Sweep

The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings meet for the third and final time tonight in one of four NHL matchups scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 11. Los Angeles looks to complete the sweep after picking up victories in the first two matchups, making it interesting to see how the Sharks vs Kings regular-season series concludes.

After suffering back-to-back losses, the Sharks returned to the win column with a 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday. Four different San Jose players found the back of the net, including defenseman Jaycob Megna, who scored his first goal of the season.

Meanwhile, the Kings have won three of their last four games, most recently blowing the Edmonton Oilers out 6-3 on Monday. Kevin Fiala had a four-point night in the win while Adrian Kempe wasn’t too far behind him with three points of his own, leaving time to tell if the Kings can build on those types of performances.

As with most notable matchups, there are plenty of betting opportunities in this Sharks vs Kings tilt. Here’s a look at FanDuel Sportsbook’s latest odds for the games, as well as a prediction and the best bet to make, courtesy of Betting News.

San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

  • Matchup: San Jose Sharks (13-21-8, 9-10-2 Away) vs. Los Angeles Kings (24-14-6, 13-7-2 Home)
  • Venue & Location: crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, California)
  • Date: Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023
  • Game Time: 10 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Sharks vs Kings Info: TNT

Sharks vs Kings Odds

Game odds are via FanDuel as of Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 9:31 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

  • San Jose Sharks +1.5 (-140)
  • Los Angeles Kings -1.5 (+112)

Over/Under

  • Over 6.5 Goals (-110)
  • Under 6.5 Goals (-110)

Moneyline

  • San Jose Sharks +172
  • Los Angeles Kings -210

San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings Betting Trends

  • San Jose is 0-5 straight up in its last five games against the Pacific Division.
  • Los Angeles is 6-2 straight up in its last eight games at home.
  • The total has hit the under in four of San Jose’s last five road games against Los Angeles.
  • The total has hit the over in four of Los Angeles’ last six games played in January.

San Jose vs Los Angeles Prediction and Picks

Sharks vs Kings Prediction: Kings 5, Sharks 2

Sharks vs Kings Best Bet: Kings ML (Best Value: -210 at FanDuel) & Kings -1.5 (Best Value: +112 at FanDuel)

The Sharks may have won last night, but that victory came against a Coyotes team that’s been in the basement all year long, just like them. Tonight’s game won’t be that easy, highlighted by the fact that the Kings are just two points out of the Pacific Division’s top spot.

As mentioned before, the Kings have had the Sharks’ number this season. After beating San Jose 5-2 in November, Los Angeles vanquished its rival 3-2 in a shootout last month. The victory also marked the third straight victory for the Kings over the Sharks dating back to last season.

One thing that’ll make it hard for the Sharks to win tonight is that they don’t usually play well on the second night of back-to-back contests. In fact, they’re 3-6-0 in games where they’ve played the night before this season.

The Kings also likely have the benefit of facing James Reimer tonight. The Sharks goaltender has been putrid this season and even worse lately, going 1-4-0 in his last five starts with a 4.46 goals-against average (GAA) and .851 save percentage (SV%). Furthermore, Reimer has also lost five of his last eight games against Los Angeles.

Now, Reimer has to deal with a Kings team that averages the 12th-most goals (3.27) in the NHL. Having said that, Los Angeles has scored 11 goals in its last two games alone and with how poorly Reimer has played lately, another blowout isn’t outside the realm of possibility.

It’s also tough to trust the Sharks, who are just 3-5-2 in their last 10 road games, allowing opponents to convert on 23.5% of power-play opportunities. Considering how the Kings own the league’s No. 9 PP unit (24.7%), any trips to the penalty box will likely hurt Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, the Kings are 7-3-0 in their last 10 at crypto.com Arena, tallying at least four goals in five of those games. With the club also converting at 28.9% on the man advantage over that stretch, I’m even more confident that Los Angeles will sweep the Sharks vs Kings season series.

As far as best bets go, I recommend taking the Kings on both the moneyline and spread. Two of the Kings’ last three wins over the Sharks have been by at least two goals and with the latter struggling in back-to-back games this season, I see Los Angeles winning this one by a decent margin.

Other Sharks vs Kings Resources

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Categorized as USFL

By Duncan Pulsifer

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