The Los Angeles Kings have finally put two wins together, but their latest escape leaves a useful question against the New Jersey Devils: is their turnaround becoming sustainable, or are they still asking Darcy Kuemper to do too much? Artemi Panarin’s scoring has given LA a lift, while New Jersey has scored at least four goals in four of its last five games. That contrast makes this a revealing test of the Kings’ rebound.
Two wins, with some work still to do
LA beat the Islanders 3-2 in overtime on Thursday, with Panarin scoring twice and Brandt Clarke supplying the winner. But the Kings were outshot 43-26 and needed 41 saves from Kuemper. It was a welcome result after six straight losses to open the season, though the shot imbalance gives bettors a reason to look beyond the winning streak.
Kuemper’s recent work is the strongest support for LA’s ability to stay competitive. Across his last five appearances this season, he has a .924 save percentage, including back-to-back outings with 30 and 41 saves while allowing two goals in each. That’s a meaningful counterweight to New Jersey’s stronger recent scoring.
There’s also a personnel concern for the Kings: Quinton Byfield is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He missed Thursday’s game, and his availability matters to LA’s forward group, but Saturday’s status remains unresolved.
New Jersey’s case as the favorite—and what complicates it
DraftKings’ current moneyline makes New Jersey a -166 favorite, with Los Angeles at +140. The Devils are 6-4 across their last 10 games and have won four of their last five. They beat Anaheim 4-1 on Thursday; Nico Hischier and Arseny Gritsyuk scored in the first period, and Jesper Bratt assisted on both goals.
Our shooting projections give New Jersey a modest advantage, about 30 shots to LA’s 28—a much smaller gap than the Kings faced Thursday. That makes the recent goaltending contrast especially interesting. Jake Allen has an .877 save percentage across his last five appearances this season and allowed at least three goals in four of them. Kuemper and Allen are the expected goalies, though neither start is confirmed. Nico Daws, not Allen, was in net for New Jersey’s win over Anaheim.
New Jersey’s recent scoring makes a strong case for its favorite status, but Allen’s results offer LA a plausible route into the game if he starts. The Kings have scored eight goals across their two wins after managing just one goal in each of the previous four games. The improvement is real on the scoreboard; sustaining it is the next test.
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A 5.5-goal total with competing signals
The posted total is 5.5. New Jersey’s recent scoring and Allen’s uneven five-appearance stretch give that number a different feel from a matchup built around two in-form goalies. Panarin’s two-goal Thursday adds to the case that LA can contribute more than it did during its earlier scoring drought.
Kuemper is the main counterweight: he’s allowed two goals in each of his last two appearances despite facing 75 shots combined. LA’s four consecutive one-goal games before this rebound also matter at 5.5; two productive nights haven’t yet established a dependable attack. Our projections suggest a fairly close shooting-volume matchup, leaving the recent contrast in finishing and saves more useful than assuming another lopsided shot count.
New Jersey has the stronger recent scoring case, but LA’s improved attack and Kuemper’s form complicate the favorite’s price. The most revealing part of the Kings’ rebound is whether their scoring support lasts: pairing another productive night with a more manageable workload for Kuemper would be more convincing than another escape. At 5.5, the Devils’ scoring run and Allen’s recent struggles deserve weight alongside Kuemper’s saves and the Kings’ still-recent drought.
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