The San Jose Sharks (26-16-2) have dropped consecutive games to the Los Angeles Kings (22-18-4) for the first time since 2015 and will attempt to end that skid on Wednesday as small -114 road underdogs (bet $114 to win $100) at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.
The Kings have won the past two meetings in the Pacific Division rivalry after losing seven of the previous eight, including dropping four of five in last year’s playoff matchup.
The Sharks have won 11 of 19 meetings since blowing a 3-0 lead to Los Angeles in the first round of the 2014 postseason. The Kings ended up winning their second Stanley Cup that year and missed the playoffs altogether the following season.
Last year, San Jose got its revenge against Los Angeles en route to making its first-ever Stanley Cup Final appearance, only to fall short in a six-game series versus the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Kings won the last meeting 2-1 on the road January 3 as a +137 underdog, according to the OddsShark NHL Database. They also won the last home meeting 3-2 on December 31, earning two wins over the Sharks in four days.
Since then, Los Angeles has split the first six games on a seven-game homestand that ends against San Jose before the team plays nine of its next 10 on the road, including the next five.
The Sharks have also gone 3-3 since last playing the Kings, and they are coming off a 5-2 rout of the Winnipeg Jets as -180 favorites on the NHL betting lines to end a two-game skid. Including the two losses to Los Angeles, San Jose is just 3-5 in its last eight after winning eight of nine, including a pair of four-game winning streaks.
Both the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers passed the Sharks in the standings during that stretch, while the Kings continue to hold on to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Bettors looking for high-scoring matchups between these two rivals will be hard-pressed to find many recent outings with more than five goals. Just one of the past eight meetings has finished over the total after the previous four averaged nearly seven goals.
Los Angeles center Anze Kopitar is expected to return from a one-game absence due to illness on Wednesday night.Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com
Source: NHL
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