The Colorado Avalanche will look to put a dent in the Los Angeles Kings’ mighty home record on Saturday afternoon. Both teams have already clinched a playoff spot, and they are merely playing for seeding at this stage of the season.
The Avalanche are one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference, but the Kings have two games in hand heading into this matchup. Los Angeles may not have the superstar talent of Nathan MacKinnon on their roster, but their defensive play on home ice has turned Crypto.com Arena into a fortress in California. The Kings have won seven of their last 10 games overall and 11 of their last 13 at home. Colorado will need to take advantage of their chances in front of Darcy Kuemper if they can defy the NHL odds with a massive upset victory. This is an excellent opportunity for these two teams to face off against a playoff-caliber team at this stage of the season, and it is also a great chance for you to look over the free expert NHL predictions on this game.
Matchup: Avalanche vs Kings Overview
- Teams: Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings
- Date: Saturday, April 12th, 2025
- Time: Puck drop is at 4:00 PM EST (1:00 PM local time)
- Venue: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California
Win Probabilities:
The NHL win probabilities are very close for this game. Using expert NHL predictions in combination with insights from recent NHL games, the Los Angeles Kings have been given a 59.66% chance to win this NHL game. They have been the far better team on home ice this season, and Colorado will need to play perfect hockey to pull off this upset. The Avalanche have been given a 40.34% chance of winning this NHL game.
Projected Final Score:
The projected final score for these two playoff-bound teams is quite close and accurately reflects how dominant these teams have been on both ends of the ice. There will be little to separate the pair, but the Kings are expected to find a way to win by a projected score of Los Angeles Kings 3-1 Colorado Avalanche.
Avalanche vs Kings Odds
The NHL odds for the Avalanche vs Kings matchup are very close, but the slight edge goes to the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have been dominant at home this season, going an incredible 29-9 on home ice. Colorado may be the team better suited for the postseason, but the reality is that the Kings are virtually unbeatable at home.
Expert Prediction: Who Wins?
Why the Colorado Avalanche Could Win
The Colorado Avalanche have several elite scorers on their roster, and their ability to put the puck in the back of the net is like few other teams in the league. Nathan MacKinnon will steal the spotlight as he closes in on the Hart trophy this season, as his 116 leads the league with less than a week left in the season. MacKinnon has scored or assisted on 43% of Colorado’s goals this season, so, needless to say, the Avalanche will struggle if MacKinnon is held off the scoresheet.
While MacKinnon is the team’s best scorer, what Cale Makar has done cannot be ignored. Makar became the ninth defenseman in NHL history to score 30 goals in a season and is the second player to do so since 1993 (Mike Green in 2009 is the other). Makar has the stick-handling skills needed to play forward in the league, and his ability to create offense from the blue line makes him a crucial part of the Avalanche team. He has the second most points in Colorado behind MacKinnon and will look to generate offense against a stingy Kings team.
Colorado has the scoring needed to upset the NHL odds with a victory, and they need to avoid digging themselves an early hole. Whoever scores first in this game will likely go on to win, and the Avalanche needs to make sure they open the scoring on Saturday afternoon.
Why the Los Angeles Kings Could Win
The Los Angeles Kings have been excellent at home this season, and they will look to maintain that momentum heading into the post-season. A victory here would go a long way in securing home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but it will not be easy to slow down the high-flying Avalanche attack.
Los Angeles is one of two teams to allow fewer than 200 goals this season, and the advantage home ice can genuinely not be overemphasized. The Kings have not only been winning at home, but their ability to stifle any offense is truly remarkable. They have allowed 13 goals in their last 13 home games, and defense like that will always put them in a position to pick up both points. The Kings have a promising group of young prospects, and this will be the perfect test to get them ready for playoff hockey.
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