NHL best bets: Kings vs. Canucks odds, preview, prediction for 3/25

Kings vs. Canucks Odds

Monday, March 25, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Odds via bet365. Get up-to-the-minute NHL odds here.

Los Angeles Kings

Right around early December, the Kings became a trendy Stanley Cup outright pick because of their depth and well-balanced play. They have been one of the best defensive teams in the league for several seasons now, and it looked possible that their offensive play would take steps forward in 2023-24.

Relatively out of the blue, the wheels completely came off of their offensive play, and we saw a two-month rut that ultimately lead to coach Todd McLellan's dismissal at the All-Star break.

Since Jim Hiller was elevated to the head-coaching position, the Kings have put up a record of 14-7-1 and own a goal differential of +16. They have played to an expected goal share of 54.37% at even strength, which is the sixth-best mark in the league.

Anderson is one of the more underrated defenders in the league and has been in strong form since returning March 11. In 978.2 minutes together, Anderson and Drew Doughty have played to a 52.8% expected goal share, often against some of the opposition's top skaters.

Arvidsson has also played well since returning and has helped solidify what has been a bounce-back in form from Pierre-Luc Dubois. Dubois has been the Kings' biggest disappointment this season, but has looked more engaged of late with six points over the last four games.

It's unclear whether or not Cam Talbot or David Rittich will get the start in net for this matchup. It seems like Talbot is viewed as the Kings' top option for the playoffs, which makes me believe at some point he will start getting consecutive games again. Talbot has played to an 11.0 GSAx and .917 save percentage across 45 appearances this season.

Vancouver Canucks

Coach Rick Tocchet will be happy with the way his side has defended of late, which has helped hide the lesser play of Casey DeSmith in goal compared to that of Demko.

Tocchet has found a line combination for Elias Pettersson which has worked for the time being, which is an important note heading into the final stretch. Pettersson, Nils Hoglander and Conor Garland were excellent Saturday night versus the Flames. If the Canucks are going to make a significant playoff run, Petterson's line will need to win some tough line matches.

Elias Lindholm has had a really tough time since arriving in Vancouver, which has been part of the reason for much of the team's recent line juggling.

Over the last 10 games, the Canucks have played to the league's best xGA/60 at 2.17. That's certainly music to the ears of any Canucks fans ahead of the playoffs, but it is worth noting they have face a very soft slate of opposing offenses in that time.

DeSmith has done well to hold down the fort while Demko is on the sidelines. He has played to a 0.5 GSAx and .899 save percentage in 24 appearances this season.

Kings vs. Canucks

Betting Pick & Prediction

The Kings are a team that is clearly heading in the right direction ahead of the playoffs. With Arvidsson and Anderson back in the mix, their lineup is significantly better than it was throughout much of the last two months. Dubois is finally finding his game as well, and suddenly their offense is looking a lot deeper.

The Canucks remain in strong form themselves, but continue to look more like a team that will play 50-50 hockey with other elite sides, rather than blow anyone out of the water. The Kings own a better defensive core, and right now these teams look relatively equal in terms of offensive firepower.

With Demko sidelined, the Kings should be power-rated right with the Canucks despite their differing records. I'll bet this matchup looks similar to what we saw when these teams met on March 5, and Demko was a key reason we cashed this winner on the Canucks in overtime that night. The Kings were also without Anderson, Arvidsson and Kempe, all of whom should be in the lineup Monday.

The Kings have been one of the best road teams in the league at 20-11-4, and I think we have the right number at +110 to back them managing another road victory Monday. Anything better than +100 is worthy of a play on L.A. in this matchup.