Los Angeles Kings vs. Vegas Golden Knights, Picks and Predictions, Wednesday, October 8, 2025
The Kings are traveling to T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada to face off against the Golden Knights in their home opener; keep reading for our Kings versus Golden Knights prediction. Los Angeles ended their season last year second in the Pacific division with a record of 48-25-9. Vegas ended its season at the top of the Pacific division with a record of 50-22-10. The Kings had a record of 3-1-0 versus the Golden Knights in 2024-25. The puck drop is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. EDT. If you’re looking to cross-check the books and put some cash in your pocket, check out our free NHL picks!
Kings Start Season With A Loss
The Kings are coming off a loss yesterday against the Avalanche with a final score of 4-1. This loss would also leave a bad taste in the Kings’ mouths as this loss was on the home opener for Los Angeles. The Kings look to repeat their success last season and make the playoffs but seem to have started off on the wrong foot, unable to generate much offense in game one the season.
Last season, the Kings were known to be one of the better defensive teams in the league, ranking second overall in goals allowed thanks to their shot blocking and goaltending. The Kings ended last season fifth in the league in save percentage at .903 and were the second-best team in shots allowed, allowing an average of only 25.5 shots per game. While the Kings did not allow too many shots on net, it would be the goaltending of Darcy Kuemper that would let down the team, allowing four goals on only 23 shots on net.
Due to us seeing Darcy Kuemper get the start yesterday against Colorado, we are likely to see Anton Forsberg take the net against Vegas.
Anton Forsberg:
- had an 11-12-3 record in 30 games with a goals against average of 2.72 and a save percentage of .901 in 2024-25 with the Senators.
- has a record of 1-2-0 in 3 games with a goals against average of 3.87 and a save percentage of .889 against the Golden Knights in his career.
Injuries:
- Laferriere RW Day To Day - Undisclosed
- Perry RW Out - Knee
- Burroughs D Out - Upper Body
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Vegas Looking To Improve Offense From Last Season
The Golden Knights ended their season last year in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing to the Oilers 1-4. Vegas did manage to have success in the first round against Minnesota, winning their series 4-,2 but both series showed a huge issue for the Golden Knights. Vegas all season last year was supreme in both scoring and on defense, but in the postseason, the Golden Knights were only able to average 2.55 goals a game.
To combat this issue, Vegas decided to bulk up its offense by signing right-winger Mitch Marner. Marner had 27 goals, 75 assists and a plus-minus of +18 in 81 games in 2024-25 with the Maple Leafs. This addition, while it does strain their cap space, does generate a lot more offense and may be the change needed to push them further into the postseason.
We will likely see goaltender Adin Hill get the start against the Kings on Wednesday.
Adin Hill:
- had a 32-13-5 record in 50 games with a goals against average of 2.47 and a save percentage of .906 in 2024-25.
- has a record of 4-4-1 in 10 games with a goals against average of 2.80 and a save percentage of .910 versus the Kings in his career.
Injuries:
- Dorofeyev LW Day To Day - Lower-body
- Demek C Out - Undisclosed
- Gustafson C Out - Undisclosed
- Connelly LW Day To Day - Undisclosed
- Pietrangelo D Out - Hip
- Lauzon D Day To Day - Undisclosed
Los Angeles Kings versus Vegas Golden Knights, Picks and Predictions
Puck Line Pick for Kings versus Golden Knights
- Kings +1.5 (-152) (3 units)
The Kings have an 8-2 record against the puck line in their last ten games versus the Golden Knights. Anton Forsberg has played one game in his career on the road against Vegas and in that game, while his team did lose, he only allowed two goals and posted a .952 save percentage of 42 shots on net. While the Kings are playing a back-to-back, I expect a strong bounce back after their home opener loss to the Avalanche yesterday. While I do not believe they will grab the win outright, the Kings have a good chance to keep this game close and potentially force overtime thanks to their defense and new goaltender.
Over/Under Pick for Kings versus Golden Knights
- Over 5.5 (-128 ) (4 units)
The Kings had an over/under record of 6-2 as underdogs against the Pacific Division on the road in 2024-25. The Golden Knights have an over/under record of 6-2-2 in their last 10 games versus the Kings. Los Angeles prides themselves in their defense and goaltending, but in a back-to-back scenario, I am not too sure we can rely on them. For the Kings to keep this game close, we may need more effort from their offense. This game looks to be a back-and-forth game that will likely go to overtime, and because of tha,t I have to look toward the over.
