Kings vs Hurricanes Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Red-Hot Hurricanes Are Worthy of Puck-Line Play

The Los Angeles Kings have arrived at the finish line of a six-game road trip. L.A. wraps up the journey against the red-hot Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Tuesday night in front of a national audience on NHL Network.

The Kings didn’t get off to a great start when their road odyssey began on January 21, falling 5-3 in Nashville. However, Pheonix Copley helped the team to a three-game winning streak before Jonathan Quick received the nod and lost in Tampa last time out.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are on a 5-game win streak, and Carolina has recorded at least one point in eight consecutive outings. I’ll also be at the game with my son Joe, and Carolina is 5-1-1 in our seven games so far this season, for whatever that’s worth.

Can the Kings cap off the road trip on a winning note in the City of Oaks? Or will the Hurricanes score the season sweep, and send L.A. back to the West Coast with another setback?

We’ll discuss in our free NHL picks and predictions for Kings vs. Hurricanes on Tuesday, January 31.

Kings vs Hurricanes best odds

Kings vs Hurricanes picks and predictions

The Kings have been flying under the radar a little bit. Los Angeles sits just one point out of first place behind the Seattle Kraken entering Tuesday, although Seattle holds three games in hand. L.A. is also tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for second place, putting the team smack-dab in the middle of the playoff chase.

The Hurricanes hold much higher aspirations after a couple of playoff runs in recent seasons. Carolina sits atop the Metropolitan Division, four points clear of the New Jersey Devils. The club has gone 6-5-2 at PNC Arena in 2022-23.

The Kings are expected to use Copley again, and he's been on fire. The North Pole, Alaska native had rattled off 15 wins in 19 starts, going 15-3-0 with a 2.82 GAA and .901 SV%. He was not in net for the 4-2 loss against the Hurricanes in November, as Quick was dinged for four goals on 31 shots.

Rookie Pyotr Kochetkov was the winning goalie in November during the first meeting. He's back with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL now, as Frederik Andersen is healthy and cruising right along.

Andersen is projected to make the start, and he's coming off an impressive 4-1 win against the Boston Bruins on Sunday. He turned aside 24 of 25 shots, bouncing back after exiting his previous outing in Dallas last Wednesday with a minor upper-body issue.

The Kings have been playing well, and they’ve been quite competitive for most of their road trip. But the Hurricanes are nearly unbeatable in the Triangle. There's no value in playing the home side on the moneyline, so go ahead and look to the puck line.

My best bet: Hurricanes -1.5 (+125 at PointsBet)

Kings vs Hurricanes moneyline analysis

The Kings are heavy underdogs, but Los Angeles is 6-3 in its past nine games on the puck line as a ‘dog. Playing the Hurricanes on the puck line comes with a little risk, but it’s worth the roll of the dice based on some ice-cold trends for the visitors.

Los Angeles fell 4-2 in the first meeting, and the club has dropped six straight in this series, including each of the previous four skates in Raleigh. The favorite has cashed in six straight meetings, while the home team is an impressive 20-8-1 over the previous 29 games.

The Kings have really been struggling against Metropolitan Division teams, too, winning just once over their past eight tries. That victory was against the lowly Philadelphia Flyers in overtime this past Tuesday.

The Hurricanes have been taking on all comers, and it seems like Carolina rises to the occasion against better teams. The Canes have won 13 of the past 16 against a team with a winning record. They're also gone 41-15 in the past 56 games at PNC Arena, which equates to a winning percentage of .732.

Carolina has also picked up wins in 38 of the past 53 contests against Pacific Division foes, while going 70-32 in its previous 102 matchups against Western Conference teams, a winning percentage of .686. The Canes have won five straight on a day of rest, too.

The Hurricanes have covered the puck line in three of their past four games as a favorite, too, so feel confident laying the goal and a half in this cross-conference battle.

Kings vs Hurricanes Over/Under analysis

The Over has cashed in three straight games involving Los Angeles, and the total has been going high lately for the Kings. The Over is 8-2-1 in the past 11 games overall for the Kings, and 4-1-1 over the team's past six against opponents with a winning record.

The Over is 7-1 across the Kings' past eight matchups against Metro Division foes, while going a perfect 5-for-5 in their past five against Eastern Conference teams.

As for the Canes, the Over is 10-3 in their past 13 games overall, including 5-2 over the team's previous seven at home. The Over is also 4-1 during Carolina's past five inside the Pacific Division, and 4-1 in the previous five against Western Conference foes.

Carolina takes a lot of shots, ranking No. 3 in the NHL with 35.1 shots on goal per game. It also ranks No. 11 with 3.3 goals per game, and the offense will be even more dangerous if the team gets its power play going. The Canes rank No. 25 on the man advantage, hitting at just an 18.7% clip.

However, the Canes could take advantage of a poor Kings penalty kill. L.A. is just No. 24 on the penalty kill at 75.0%, and the Kings allow 3.4 goals per game. Look for at least four goals for the home side.

Kings vs Hurricanes betting trend to know

The favorite has taken six straight meetings in this series, and the home team is an impressive 20-8-1 in the past 29. Find more NHL betting trends for Kings vs Hurricanes.

Kings vs Hurricanes game info

Kings vs Hurricanes key injuries

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