Jack Eichel has been excellent this year, but he's finding success more as a playmaker than a goal-scorer and his shots totals have dipped as a result. Facing a defensive powerhouse like the Kings, he won't register 4+ SOG.
The Los Angeles Kings started slowly, dropping three of their first four games but have since found their footing, winning four of six, including both on home ice.
They’ll have their hands full against the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights, who enter play riding a four-game winning streak.
My Golden Knights vs. Kings predictions see a tight-checking, low-event game in the cards. That doesn’t bode well for star players — like Jack Eichel — hitting their ceilings when it comes to generating shots.
Let’s break things down further with my October 30 NHL picks for this clash at the crypto.com arena at 10:00 p.m. ET.
My best bet
Jack Eichel Under 3.5 shots (-130 at DraftKings)
My analysis
Jack Eichel is off to a torrid start. He has 16 points through just 10 games and has looked unstoppable in the offensive zone. The vast majority of his offense has come by way of playmaking, though, and his shot volume has suffered as a result.
The Vegas Golden Knights forward is producing only 2.5 shots per game, which is not a byproduct of bad luck or variance in terms of hitting the target. He’s simply not shooting.
He’s averaging just five attempts per game, which is drastically lower than we’re used to seeing from him.
Eichel has cleared 3.5 shots only three times in 10 tries. Those hits came against the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, and San Jose Sharks — three teams with shallow bluelines who are unlikely to qualify for the playoffs.
Eichel has generated next to no shots against quality opponents like the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, or — tonight’s opponent — the Los Angeles Kings.
He’s also had a miserable time on the road, averaging 1.3 shots on 3.7 attempts away from Vegas.
This is not a good matchup for Eichel to try and buck the decline we’ve seen in shots. The Kings rank third in 5v5 shot suppression and fifth on the penalty kill. They do not give up much volume even when undermanned. Put another way, there’s no game situation Eichel can rely on generating easy volume to life his floor and ceiling.
The Kings also play a slow, low-event brand of hockey where shots come few and far between. They’ll only lean on that further in a back-to-back situation.
Even without Drew Doughty, the Kings were able to put the clamps on Eichel and neuter his shot volume when the two sides met earlier this month.
Eichel had just two shots on target in that game — and it was played in Vegas, where his volume is higher.
I don’t see any reason to expect anything different this time around
Jack Eichel Under 3.5 shots
Jack Eichel Under 1.5 points
Under 6.5
This isn’t a great matchup for Eichel to pile up the shots, nor is it conducive to littering his name on the scoresheet.
The Kings are a stingy defensive team that gives up few shots and scoring chances. They’ve done a great job of slowing Eichel in the past as well, holding him to one point — or off the scoresheet entirely — in nine straight meetings.
The Golden Knights are a competent defensive side in their own right, ranking seventh in goals against per game.
Los Angeles is not a great finishing team and its biggest focus will be taking the juice out of this game and slowing down Vegas’ big guns.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Jack Eichel has averaged 2.7 shots, and 0.7 points, over his last nine games against Los Angeles. Find more NHL betting trends for Golden Knights vs. Kings.
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Todd Cordell is a data-driven betting analyst. He uses numbers to help identify value across a wide variety of sports, with NHL being his specialty. Shot props, in particular, have proven to be a very fruitful market. Todd has served as a betting analyst in the public sphere for many years, most recently with theScore covering the NHL and MLB.
When not writing about sports betting, Todd stays busy analyzing the New Jersey Devils with a fine-tooth comb for InfernalAccess, his Devils-centric blog. Todd attended Sheridan College and graduated in 2014 with a diploma in print journalism.
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