The 2021-22 NHL season continues Monday, January 10, 2022, with five games around the league, including the interconference showdown at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, so we have prepared the best Rangers vs. Kings betting pick and odds. 

The Rangers meet the Kings for the first time since February 2020, and Los Angeles has won four of its previous five encounters with New York. The Kings are small home dogs for Monday’s clash, while the totals are listed at 5.5 goals on BetOnline Sportsbook.

New York smashed Anaheim to get back on the right track

The New York Rangers (23-9-4) started a five-game road trip with a heavy 5-1 defeat at the Vegas Golden Knights this past Thursday. A couple of days later, the Rangers bounced back in style, outlasting the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 as -105 road dogs for their fourth victory in the last five games overall.

New York scored three 3rd-period goals against the Ducks, while Ryan Lindgren led the way with a brace. The Rangers took 40 shots towards Anaheim’s goalie and surrendered only 14 in a return. Alexandar Georgiev patrolled the crease for the third straight contest and improved to 7-4-2 on the season.

Georgiev owns a 2.76 GAA and a .904 save percentage. He should get another starting call Monday, as Igor Shesterkin (15-4-2; 2.09 GAA) is sidelined with COVID-19. Winger Artemi Panarin, who’s accounted for ten goals and 26 assists so far this season, is in the medical protocols as well.

The Kings blanked Detroit last time out      

The Los Angeles Kings (17-13-5) are coming off a 4-0 victory to the Detroit Red Wings this past Saturday. They bounced back from a 4-2 home loss to the Nashville Predators, taking 42 shots towards the Red Wings’ goaltender while yielding just 21 in a return.

Four different players found the back of the net last Saturday. Cal Petersen registered his first shutout of the season to improve to 6-5-1. Jonathan Quick (10-8-4; 2.40 GAA) has guarded the cage in the previous four contests, and he should get the starting call Monday against the Rangers.

The Kings have three players on the COVID-19 list, including winger Alex Iafallo, who’s scored ten goals and ten assists in 2021-22. Los Angeles is tallying 2.71 goals per contest (23rd in the NHL) on a 7.7 shooting percentage (tied-30th).

Trends:

NY Rangers:

  • 4-1 in the last five games overall
  • 7-3 in the last ten games on the road 

LA Kings:

  • 6-12 in the last 18 games against the Metropolitan Division

New York Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings Pick

Both Rangers and Kings have played well as of late, so I’m expecting a hard-fought battle that could easily go either way. Therefore, I think betting on the under is a way to go in this matchup, as both teams rely on a stout defense.

The Angels are yielding 2.63 goals per game, enough for the eighth-best in the NHL. On the other side, the Rangers boast the third-best scoring defense in the league, surrendering only 2.50 goals per contest. The Rangers’ special teams have done a much better job than the Kings’ thus far, so I lean the visitors to escape with a win.

Pick: Take New York Rangers at -103         

The Total:

New York ranks fourth in the league in penalty-killing percentage (84.8%) and ninth in power-play percentage (23.4%). Los Angeles, on the other side, is 25th in the NHL in power-play percentage (16.8%) and 27th in penalty-killing percentage (74.7%). I’ve mentioned how good these two teams have been defensively in a 5-on-5, so give me the under on the totals.

The total has gone under in eight of the Kings’ previous 12 outings at any location. Also, the under is 4-1 in the Rangers’ last five meetings with the Western Conference. Pick: Go under 5.5 goals at -110