The NHL betting action continues with a small four-game card Monday, April 4, 2022, so we are taking a closer look at the Pacific Division showdown from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to get you the best Flames vs. Kings betting pick along with the latest odds update on MyBookie Sportsbook.

Calgary and Los Angeles wrap up their three-game regular-season series. The Flames took a lead with a 3-2 victory in LA on December 2, while the Kings responded with a 3-2 shootout win in Calgary on the last day of March. 

The Flames lost three in a row              

The Calgary Flames (40-19-9) closed down their six-game homestand last Saturday. They lost to St. Louis 6-4 as huge -260 moneyline favorites, extending their losing streak to three games. Jakob Markstrom guarded the cage for the eighth time in Calgary’s last nine contests and fell to 31-14-8 on the season.

Markstrom (2.19 GAA; .924 SV%) yielded four goals on just 23 shots against the Blues. He allowed only a couple of goals on 32 shots in that shootout defeat to the Kings on March 31. The Flames surrender only 2.50 goals per game (2nd in the NHL) and score 3.47 in a return (6th) on a 9.7 shooting percentage (14th).

Calgary is still topping the Pacific Division with 89 points, three points ahead of Los Angeles. The Flames are tied with Minnesota for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

The Kings eye their third straight W     

The Los Angeles Kings (38-23-10) wrapped up their three-game road trip this past Saturday, grabbing a 3-2 victory at the Winnipeg Jets. It was their third win in the last five outings at any location and second in a row. Los Angeles is now tied with St. Louis for the No. 4 seed in the West.

The Kings outshot the Jets 38-27. Three different players found the back of the net, including winger Adrian Kempe, who also recorded one assist. Kempe increased his season tally to 45 points, while Cal Petersen turned 25 shots aside to improve to 20-11-1 on the season.

Petersen has patrolled the crease in four of LA’s last five contests. He owns a 2.68 GAA and .901 save percentage, while Jonathan Quick carries a 17-12-9 record, 2.66 GAA, and .909 save percentage. It’s still unknown who’ll get the starting call Monday against the Flames. Los Angeles yields 2.79 goals per game (9th in the league) and tallies 2.83 in a return (20th).

Trends:

Calgary:

  • 14-6 in the last 20 games against the Western Conference
  • 7-3 in the last ten games against the Pacific Division 

Los Angeles:

  • 6-16 in the last 22 outings at home as underdogs 
  • 1-4 in the last five games played on Monday

Calgary Flames vs. Los Angeles Kings Pick

On paper, the Flames are a better team than the Kings, and I’m expecting Calgary’s special teams to make the difference. The Flames rank ninth in the NHL in power-play percentage (23.8%) and sixth in penalty-killing percentage (83.4%).

On the other side, the Kings are 28th in power-play percentage (16.8%) and 23rd in penalty-killing percentage (76.3%). The hosts will need a top-notch performance from their goalie to pull off another upset in the Flames series.

Pick: Take Calgary Flames at -160               

The Total:

Five of the Flames’ last seven games overall and six of the Kings’ previous eight have produced more than five goals in total. On the other hand, eight of their last 11 encounters have seen less than six goals on the scoreboard, including their previous two meetings in 2021-22.

Calgary boasts the second-lowest scoring defense in the NHL. The Flames should be fired up to bounce back from a 6-4 defeat to the Blues. Their defense needs to step up, while the Kings have to play good defense if they want to beat the Flames. In their last eight victories, the Kings haven’t allowed more than a couple of goals.

Pick: Go under 5.5 goals at -120