The 2021-22 NHL season continues with ten games on Thursday night’s card, so we’re breaking down the Pacific Division showdown from Staples Center in Los Angeles to get you the best Flames vs. Kings betting pick and odds.

Calgary meets LA for the first time since February 2020. The Flames opened as -145 road favorites on Bovada Sportsbook, while the Kings are +130 underdogs with a total of 5.5 goals. Los Angeles has won four of its last five encounters with Calgary, including their previous two duels at Staples Center.

The Flames start a four-game road trip

The Calgary Flames (13-4-5) wrapped up a three-game homestand last Monday and returned to winning ways with a 2-1 shootout victory to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They bounced back from a 4-2 loss to Winnipeg thanks to Mikael Backlund’s goal in the seventh round of a thrilling shootout.

The Flames took 32 shots towards Pittsburgh’s goalie and yielded only 22 in a return. Jacob Markstrom improved to 9-4-4 on the season, and the 31-year-old netminder owns a terrific 1.75 GAA and .938 save percentage.

Calgary boasts the best scoring defense in the NHL. The Flames are yielding only 1.95 goals per contest while tallying 3.23 in a return, enough for the eighth-most in the league. They rank seventh in power-play percentage (15-for-61) and sixth in penalty-killing percentage (9-of-69).

The Kings wrap up a seven-game homestand 

The Los Angeles Kings have won their first five games in November, but it’s been a bumpy road since then, as LA has dropped six of its last seven games. Five of those six losses have come on the home ice, including a 5-4 shootout defeat to the Anaheim Ducks this past Tuesday.

The Kings nearly overcame a three-goal deficit against the Ducks. It was another shaky defensive display, as Los Angeles has allowed 19 goals over its last five outings. Jonathan Quick fell to 4-5-3 on the season, registering his fourth consecutive defeat.

Los Angeles allows 2.76 goals per contest (tied-11th in the NHL). Quick owns a 2.38 GAA and a .924 save percentage, while Cal Petersen is 5-3-1 with a 3.00 GAA and a .895 save percentage. Whoever guards the cage against the Flams will need a lot of help from his teammates, as LA scores only 2.67 goals per game (25th) on a 7.7 shooting percentage (27th).

Trends:

Calgary:

  • 5-1 in the last six games overall
  • 4-1 in the last five outings as favorites 

Los Angeles:

  • 1-6 in the last seven games overall
  • 1-5 in the last five games at home
  • 4-12 in the last 16 outings as underdogs

Calgary Flames vs. Los Angeles Kings Pick

The Kings have struggled a lot over the last couple of weeks, so I cannot back them to break out of their funk against one of the hottest teams in the league. LA’s offense has been pretty unpredictable lately, scoring four goals against the mighty Carolina Hurricanes while finding the back of the net only once against the hapless Arizona Coyotes.

On the other side, the Flames’ defense has been terrific so far this season. Calgary has allowed more than a couple of goals only once in its last nine outings at any location.

Pick: Take Calgary Flames at -145        

The Total:

The bookies expect to see a low-scoring game. Although LA’s last three games have produced a whopping 23 goals in total, the under has hit in 13 of the Kings’ previous 20 games overall. On the other side, the under is 6-3 in Calgary’s last nine contests.

I lean towards the under, looking for the Flames to put on another strong defensive performance. Their special teams are doing a great job, too, while the Kings haven’t been at their best. Still, LA has allowed only 51 power-play opportunities so far this season.

Pick: Go under 5.5 goals at -130