Ottawa coach Travis Green following the Senators game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Dec. 17, 2024 Saturday is the best night of the week for hockey and tonight is so exception as fans get a stellar slate of games with some elite matchups. The Oilers and Kings reignite their fierce rivalry once again in a tough divisional matchup that should get hockey fans warmed up for a great night of action. We look to improve on our impressive records like our 32-26 record on game total and team unders this season. All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly. Bet: Oilers -1.5 (+185), Oilers Kings Over 5.5 goals (-130), Oilers Over 3.5 goals (+135) The Kings have reassured themselves as one of the elite defensive teams in the NHL as they rep the third-best goals against average at 2.56 this season. Edmonton are the favourites despite going against an LA team that is 10-2-1 at home and have the league's best home defence with a 1.92 goals against average. This should combat against an Oilers team that has the fifth-best home offence, averaging 3.43 goals per game. Edmonton also holds a significant historical advantage in this matchup as they've won ten of their last 12 games against the Kings, including wins in five of their last six trips to LA.The constant problem with the Kings is their inability to stop Connor McDavid and the Oilers high-powered offence as they enter each matchup with formidable defensive numbers but when the puck drops they begin to crumble. They've allowed 20 goals in their last six matchups versus Edmonton including three games where they allowed five or more goals. It's hard to count on the Kings defence when the Oilers have consistently been their kryptonite.The Oilers have been rolling lately and should enter this matchup with a lot of confidence considering they always dominate this matchup. Kings starter Darcy Kuemper has also allowed 12 goals in his last two starts versus the Oilers.
