Los Angeles Kings vs New Jersey Devils, NHL Picks

Los Angeles Kings

New Jersey Devils

Sat, Oct 24 · 3:30 PM ET · Prudential Center

‹›

Tools

Loading tools…

Model Projection

These numbers come from a power-rating model built on the method Billy Walters lays out in his book Gambler, seeded from each team's real goal differential in ESPN's NHL standings.

Projected Moneyline

NJ -120

No real live market line available yet.

Projected Total

5.8 Goals

No real live market line available yet.

This projection and current market action are supplementary and do not influence the final qualitative pick and analysis of today's game.

Season stats ordered from most to least relevant. Longer bar, stronger league standing.

LANJ

2.68 (29th)

Goals

(27th) 2.76

How many goals does the team score per game?

(League Avg: 3.08 Goals/Game)

28.0 (17th)

Shots

(5th) 29.6

How many shots on goal does the team take per game?

(League Avg: 27.8 Shots/Game)

9.6% (30th)

Shooting %

(31st) 9.3%

How often do the team's shots on goal go in?

(League Avg: 11.1%)

17.0% (28th)

Power Play %

(13th) 22.0%

How often does the power play score?

(League Avg: 21.1%)

49.8% (17th)

Faceoff %

(13th) 50.6%

How often does the team win the faceoff?

(League Avg: 50.0%)

2.90 (T7th)

Goals Allowed

(18th) 3.08

How many goals does the defense allow per game?

(League Avg: 3.08 Goals/Game)

27.2 (11th)

Shots Allowed

(T12th) 27.4

How many shots on goal does the defense allow per game?

(League Avg: 27.8 Shots/Game)

89.9% (T12th)

Save %

(T19th) 89.3%

How often do the team's goalies stop a shot on goal?

(League Avg: 89.5%)

74.6% (30th)

Penalty Kill %

(17th) 79.3%

How often does the penalty kill keep the other team off the board?

(League Avg: 78.9%)

14.6 (13th)

Blocked Shots

(21st) 13.8

How many shots does the team block per game?

(League Avg: 14.2 Blocks/Game)

Matchup Breakdown

Kings' offense: The Kings generate a middle-of-the-pack shot volume but rank near the very bottom of the league at converting those chances into goals in the 2025-26 season. Their power play is one of the least effective in the league, leaving points on the board whenever they draw a penalty.

Devils' offense: The Devils put pucks on net at one of the highest rates in the league but convert at one of the lowest rates, making them a high-volume, low-efficiency attack in the 2025-26 season. Their power play sits in the middle of the pack, a meaningful step up from what the Kings offer on special teams.

Kings' defense: The Kings have been one of the better defensive teams in the league at limiting goals against in the 2025-26 season, backed by solid goaltending and good shot suppression. Their one significant hole is a penalty kill that ranks near the very bottom of the league.

Devils' defense: The Devils sit below the league midpoint in goals allowed in the 2025-26 season, with goaltending that has been slightly below average. Their penalty kill is a middle-of-the-road unit, noticeably more reliable than the Kings' in that department.

Overall: The Kings carry the stronger defensive foundation, but their penalty kill is among the worst in the league and runs directly into a Devils power play that is noticeably more effective. Both teams rank near the bottom of the league in scoring, pointing toward a low-goal game where special teams carry extra weight. That collision, where the Kings' most glaring weakness meets one of the Devils' relative strengths, is the most consequential factor separating these two otherwise closely matched teams.

Goalie Matchup

The two starters in net, and how each has actually played.

Darcy Kuemper

G #35 · LA

Tier

Average

Save %

.891

Goals Against Avg

2.78

Record

19-14-15

Shutouts

Starts

2025-26 season numbers

Jake Allen

G #34 · NJ

Tier

Solid

Save %

.904

Goals Against Avg

2.74

Record

17-17-2

Shutouts

Starts

2025-26 season numbers

The Read

Kings' goalie: Darcy Kuemper was a below-average starter in the 2025-26 season, carrying a save rate that trailed most of his peers and allowing goals at a higher clip than the league average. He was a net liability in most goalie matchup contexts rather than a stabilizing presence.

Devils' goalie: Jake Allen was solid in the 2025-26 season, posting a save rate above the league average and keeping goals against at a manageable level across his starts. He was dependable without being spectacular.

The workload: Kuemper's sample is extensive, having shouldered a heavy portion of the Kings' games, making his numbers a thorough and reliable read on his true level. Allen worked in a more limited but still meaningful role, and his body of work is substantial enough to draw real conclusions from. Both starts are confirmed.

Overall: Allen holds a clear edge in net heading into this game, with meaningfully better efficiency and a lower goals-allowed rate than his counterpart. That gap adds upward pressure to the scoring environment on the Kings' side and keeps the Devils' net as the stronger of the two by a measurable margin. The goalie matchup favors New Jersey in a way that is hard to overlook.

Team Conditions

Schedule rest, recent form, and the current injury report.

LANJ

Rest

Standard preparation, 2 days rest.

Form

2025-26 record 35-27-20 (home 15-17-9, road 20-10-11)

2025-26 record 42-37-3 (home 21-17-3, road 21-20-0)

InjuryKey Players

A. Turcotte (C) - OCT 10 · Injured Reserve

M. Zuccarello (RW) - OCT 10 · Injured Reserve

J. Dvorak (D) - SEP 24 · Injured Reserve

J. Jenik (C) - SEP 24 · Injured Reserve

K. Fiala (LW) - SEP 17 · Injured Reserve

L. Evangelista (RW) - OCT 16 · Out

C. Brown (RW) - OCT 12 · Injured Reserve

N. Bjugstad (C) - OCT 9 · Injured Reserve

S. Casey (D) - OCT 2 · Injured Reserve

The Read

Kings' availability: Kevin Fiala is sidelined alongside several other forwards and a defenseman, which meaningfully thins out the Kings' offensive group. It is a longer list than ideal heading into a road game.

Devils' availability: New Jersey's injured players are largely depth contributors, and none of the absences leave a significant hole in the lineup. The Devils are in reasonable personnel shape.

Rest and form: Both teams arrive on equal rest, so preparation is a wash. The Kings are in the middle of a cold stretch in the 2025-26 season, having dropped each of their most recent outings, while the Devils have been more consistent lately, winning the majority of their recent games.

Overall: New Jersey enters this matchup in a stronger position across the board, carrying a healthier roster and better recent momentum into a home game. The Kings are managing a thinner lineup and a confidence dip from their recent form, both of which compound the difficulty of playing on the road. The Devils are the more settled side heading into this game.

Side Write-Up

New Jersey gets the nod here on the back of a goalie edge that is hard to dismiss, a healthier roster, and home ice advantage against a Kings team that is visibly struggling. Jake Allen posted a save rate above league average in the 2025-26 season, while Darcy Kuemper sat below it across an extensive workload that makes his numbers a genuine reflection of his level rather than a small-sample mirage. The Devils are the more settled side coming in, having won the majority of their recent games while the Kings have dropped each of their most recent outings and are carrying a thinned-out forward group with Kevin Fiala among those sidelined. The most consequential structural matchup on the sheet points the same direction: the Kings own one of the worst penalty kills in the league, and that unit runs directly into a Devils power play that is a meaningful step above what Los Angeles offers on special teams, representing the clearest performance gap between these two otherwise closely matched teams. The strongest counterargument is that the Devils convert at one of the lowest rates in the league despite generating high shot volume, which puts a ceiling on how much their offensive advantages can actually be realized on the scoreboard, but the combination of superior goaltending, better special teams structure, fresher personnel, and home momentum outweighs that concern across enough dimensions to make New Jersey the justified side.

Final PickNew Jersey Devils

Total Write-Up

Both offenses arrive at this game with genuine scoring limitations baked in, and the conditions around them amplify rather than offset those limitations. The Kings rank near the very bottom of the league in converting chances into goals in the 2025-26 season, carry one of the least effective power plays in the league, and are operating with a thinner forward group than ideal, all of which suppresses their scoring ceiling on the road. The Devils put up high shot volume but convert at one of the lowest rates in the league, meaning their offensive output tends to lag behind their territorial control, and they face a Kings defensive group that has been among the better units in the league at limiting goals against in the 2025-26 season. The goalie matchup reinforces the same direction, with Allen dependable above the league average and Kuemper allowing goals at a higher clip than his peers, so the one net likely to leak is on the Kings' side, and even that comes against a Devils attack that has struggled to finish. The strongest counterargument is that the Devils' volume-first attack creates enough raw opportunities that a single hot period could push the game past a low total, but with both teams ranking near the bottom of the league in scoring efficiency and no special teams advantage positioned to unlock a high-event game for Los Angeles, the structural weight of the evidence points clearly toward fewer goals rather than more.

Final PickUnder

Written by

VIMB

47,000+

Followers Across All Socials

This information is for entertainment purposes only and is not any form of financial or gambling advice. Sports involve high variance therefore always be responsible and manage your risk accordingly.