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The San Jose Sharks (7-8-1) and Los Angeles Kings (4-7-2) will meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 10:00 p.m. EST at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. The game will be broadcast live on TNT.
The Kings are favored at -176 on the moneyline, with the Sharks +146 to pull off the upset. The over/under is set at 6.5 (+110o / -134u).
Let's get into our Sharks vs. Kings predictionsand NHL picks .
Pick: TBD on Kings Goaltender
Our San Jose vs. Los Angeles best bet is to wait on who the Kings start in net, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your NHL bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NHL odds page.
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Sharks vs. Kings puck line:Kings -1.5 (+146), Sharks +1.5 (-180)
Sharks vs. Kings over/under:6.5 (+110o / -134u)
Sharks vs. Kings moneyline:Sharks +146, Kings -176
Sharks vs. Kings best bet: TBD on Kings' Goaltender
Two in-state rivals are going at it, and both are riding the same wave.
The Sharks have a lot of expectations coming into this season. After nearly making the playoffs last season, and the breakout performance from now-captain Macklin Celebrini, a playoff berth is the expectation, not a goal.
But it's been a rough road for San Jose to begin 2026-27. While it's gotten great goaltending from Yaroslav Askarov (.901 SV% and 6.2 GSAx), coach Ryan Warsofsky is alarmed at how his boys are playing.
After the Sharks fell to the Sabres 2-0, Warsofsky told the media that he thinks his team isn't giving their all every game, and losing four out of their last five isn't helping the cause.
And Warsofsky may not be too far off. San Jose ranks in the bottom 10 in offensive expected goals and are third worst in expected goals against, leaving Askarov on an island.
The point of bringing in veterans like defensemen Jacob Trouba and Darnell Nurse was to keep the young guys in check. And so far, we've seen a lot of the same inconsistencies from last season.
It's still early, but it's something to keep in mind.
Meanwhile, after an abysmal start to the season, the Kings are finally getting into a rhythm. Los Angeles went 0-4-2 in its first six games, but since then have gone 4-3.
Adrian Kempe missed the Kings' last game against the Sabres, but he was seen skating in practice on Monday. However, Kempe, who is typically the Kings' premier goal scorer, hasn't found the back of the net in his past five games.
This team has been dominated by Artemi Panarin and defenseman Brandt Clarke. Panarin is averaging a point per game, while Clarke is shaping up to be the heir to captain Drew Doughty's royalty in SoCal.
I'm still not all the way in on the Kings. Their offense is the worst in the league by two points, with a 23.69 xGF%, however, the defense is clicking on all cylinders with a third-best 25.74 xGA.
I need to see more from the offensive end before I start jumping on the bandwagon. But the truth is, this is an old team, with an average age of 30.31 – the second oldest in hockey.
Because this is a West Coast game and NHL coaches are notoriously weird when it comes to announcing goaltenders, I'm going to assume that Darcy Kuemper gets the nod today. Kuemper, too, is old at 36 years old, and even with a strong defense in front of him, can't stop a puck anymore with an .878 SV% and a -3.7 GSAx.
Backup Anton Forsberg has been the lesser of two evils, though, so if coach Peter Laviolette decides to run with Forsberg, it's definitely something to take note of when making your pick here.
This is a fairly even matchup, with two polar opposite roster builds.
You have the young and spry Sharks, who are known to take days off, against the wily veteran Kings, who are starting to get their groove back.
My model has this game as tight-knit as possible, giving the Sharks a slight edge.
The thing is, given how polar opposite the vibes are for both teams, I'm having a hard time justifying picking San Jose. After Warsofsky called his team out, the Sharks were outscored by their opponents 9-5.
I definitely recommend keeping an eye on the goaltender matchups here. If Kuemper is confirmed, I like picking the over. However, if it's Forsberg, I'm taking the under.
Update: Kuemper is starting.
Best Bet: Monitor Who Starts in Net for L.A.
