Los Angeles Kings at New York Islanders Betting Preview/Prop Pick

It's time for another ESPN+ Hockey Night, and there is an intriguing matchup set to take place at UBS Arena in New York. It will be the Islanders hosting the Los Angeles Kings, and every NHL game becomes more important as the season moves along.

The Los Angeles Kings have been one of the biggest surprises in the league this season, and they have racked up 48 points on the year. Los Angeles has gone just 1-4 in their last five games, but they are still in third place in the Pacific Division.

New York has just 37 points on the year, but they have actually won four of their last five games. The Islanders still have plenty of time to turn things around, but they have to continue to stack up the wins.

The New York Islanders are the betting favorites on the moneyline at -149. 

Kings Struggling to Score

The Los Angeles Kings come into Thursday night averaging 2.7 goals per game, and no one will mistake this team for being high-scoring. Los Angeles has been even worse on the offensive end of late as they have scored just 12 goals over the last five games. 

Anze Kopitar leads the team with 24 assists and 37 total points, but he needs some help when it comes to generating offense. The Kings are scoring less than 16 percent on the power play, and they need to take more advantage when other teams commit penalties.

The Kings are holding opponents to just 2.6 goals per game, and Jonathan Quick is stopping close to 92 percent of shots faced. Los Angeles will have to take advantage of scoring opportunities to win this game. 

Islanders Have Momentum

New York has actually been one of the worst offensive teams in the NHL this season, scoring just 2.37 goals per game. The Islanders have been finding plenty of offense of late, though, and it has been Mathew Barzal leading the way.

Barzal has registered 18 assists and 26 points to lead the team, and he will be a player to watch out for in this matchup. The Islanders have been a solid power play team of late, and they are also killing off 82 percent of their own penalties. 

Goaltender Ilya Sorokin has been terrific all season for New York as he is giving up just 2.29 goals against on average. New York is facing a struggling offense and needs to put up a low number in this game. 

Islanders Hold Off the Kings

Don't expect a ton of offense in this game, as both teams have really struggled to score throughout the year. This doesn't mean that this won't be an exciting game, though, as each team is really desperate to turn things around. 

Playing this game at home will provide a big advantage for the Islanders, and their special teams' play should have an impact as well. The Kings are going to keep this game close, but the rough patch is going to continue for the visitors. 

Take the New York Islanders -149 as they find a way to get just enough offense to pick up a nice home win against the Los Angeles Kings.

Prop Pick

NY Islanders (+170) OVER 3.5 Goals

Scores have gone OVER in five of the Islanders last six games versus the Kings and five of the last six at home in New York.

With Dunkel predicting a New York win by the score of 4-3, take the Islanders (+170) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 3.5 goals against Los Angeles.

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