Los Angeles Kings vs. Washington Capitals Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 22nd 2024

Preview and Prediction

The Los Angeles Kings are determined to end their seven-game road trip on a positive note as they face off against the Washington Capitals on Sunday.

So far, the Kings have managed a record of 3-1-2 on their trip, most recently earning a point in a 3-2 overtime defeat against the Nashville Predators on Saturday. Despite trailing 2-0 after two periods, Los Angeles showed resilience by scoring twice in the third period within a four-minute span.

In their game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, the Kings found themselves down by a goal late in the second period. However, captain Anze Kopitar stepped up and tied the game with just 44 seconds remaining. The team then went on to score four more goals in the third period, ultimately securing a 7-3 victory.

Center Quinton Byfield, who has scored six goals this season, has been a key player for the Kings in their recent games. He has scored half of his goals in the past four games and has accumulated four points during that stretch. This is a significant improvement from his performance in the 12 games between November 13th and December 12th, where he only managed to score two points (one goal, one assist). Byfield is also playing a career-high average of 17:26 of ice time this season.

The Capitals, on the other hand, are coming off a 3-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, breaking a two-game losing streak.

Washington had a strong start to the season with a record of 11-2-1, but suffered consecutive losses to the Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks earlier this week. The team will now face a back-to-back set of games, with a visit to the Boston Bruins on Monday, before the NHL takes a break for Christmas.

Coach Spencer Carbery emphasized the importance of staying focused and not getting ahead of themselves. He stated, "It's been a grind, the first 34 games, and you let your mind drift. And it's the teams that can really stay on task and stay in the moment for these last four or five days, while there's a lot of things going on externally and, in your mind, those are the teams that can finish out the pre-holiday break playing well. And that's what we want to do."

Although the Capitals are still without their superstar captain Alex Ovechkin, who has been cleared for contact but won't return before the break, forward Connor McMichael has stepped up in his absence. The 23-year-old scored his 16th goal of the season on Friday, surpassing Ovechkin for the team lead.

McMichael acknowledged the impact of Ovechkin's absence and how it has motivated the team to step up their game. He said, "Any time a guy with that scoring ability goes down, a lot of guys feel like they need to step up and I think we've had contributions from all over the lineup, not just one or two guys. It feels nice whenever I can help the team, but a lot of guys have stepped up in his absence."

McMichael is only two goals away from matching his career-high from last season and has already accumulated 28 points in just 32 games, putting him just five points behind his total from last season in 80 games.

PREDICTION

Los Angeles Kings

2

3

Washington Capitals

Los Angeles Kings vs. Washington Capitals