Free NHL Picks Today: Los Angeles Kings vs Colorado Avalanche 4/8/23

Free NHL Picks Today: Los Angeles Kings vs Colorado Avalanche 4/8/23
Sat 8th April 2023

The Colorado Avalanche (47-24-6) will be looking to add to their winning streak when they travel to take on the Los Angeles Kings (45-24-10) at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday. Colorado is coming off a high-scoring 6-2 win over the Sharks on Thursday, their third win in a row.

The Avalanche committed only one penalty in the game, holding San Jose without a power play goal. Mikko Rantanen was the top goalscorer for the Avalanche with a hat trick. Alexandar Georgiev saved 21 of 23 shots in the win.

Los Angeles fell 5-2 to the Golden Knights on Thursday. Anze Kopitar and Vladislav Gavrikov both scored once for the Kings. Joonas Korpisalo started in the loss and only had 10 saves on 15 shots (.666%).

HEAD TO HEAD

The Kings have won both games between the teams this season, including a 5-2 victory in their most recent meeting in March. Kopitar led Los Angeles with three points (0G 3A). Evan Rodrigues and Nathan MacKinnon were on the scoresheet for Colorado. Korpisalo got the win, saving 28 of 30 shots (.933%).

FACING OFF

Colorado is averaging 3.32 goals per game for the season, 13th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Kings team that is allowing 3.13 goals a game (16th). Meanwhile, Los Angeles has found the net 3.33 times a game on average, 12th in the league, and the Avalanche are allowing opponents to score 2.71 goals per game (8th).

The Kings’ 25.19% power play percentage is the third-best in the league, while Colorado’s 24.90% conversion rate ranks fourth. In terms of penalty killing, Colorado has the league’s 17th-ranked PK% at 78.88%, while Los Angeles is 24th at 75.38%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

MacKinnon (104 points), Rantanen (98), and Cale Makar (66) have been the top skaters this season for the Avalanche. MacKinnon and Rantanen are the sixth- and ninth-leading point scorers in the NHL. Rantanen is among the league leaders with his 52 goals (3rd), while MacKinnon is among the league leaders with his 67 assists (5th).

Makar has also been a top player for Colorado, scoring 17 and assisting 49. In the net, Georgiev (37-16-5) is Colorado’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.53 GAA and a .918% save percentage.

Kevin Fiala and Kopitar lead the Kings in scoring with 72 and 69 points, respectively. Fiala has 23 goals and 49 assists, while Kopitar has 27 goals and 42 assists in 79 games. Pheonix Copley (24-5-3) has the best goals against average for Los Angeles at 2.60. He has a save percentage of .905%.

HOME AND AWAY

Colorado is seeking a ninth successive road win this season. Los Angeles is 25-10-4 at home this season.

SportsTips’ NHL Pick:

Colorado Avalanche (-125)

Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with betmgm image today!

If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NHL hub page for all your NHL needs!

*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.

SportsTips covers all the latest betting, odds, picks & predictions news when it comes to major American sports like NFL, NBA, MLB & NHL. If you want to stay up to date with the latest information, SportsTips has you covered!