Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue: United Center, Chicago, IL
Where to watch: NBC Sports Chicago, KCOP-13
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Kings -145, Blackhawks +125
BetMGM: Kings -145, Blackhawks +120
Caesars: Kings -145, Blackhawks +125
Season record
Kings: 38-26-10
Blackhawks: 24-37-11
Ben Burns has reeled off a strong 29-14-0 run over the last month in the NHL. After an action-packed month of March, April is bound to be just as crazy with the playoff push underway. Do you have the right picks to lead you to glory and get you ready for what should be an exciting push to the end? Catch Ben's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Kings - Blackhawks preview and analysis
Well, if it wasn’t pressure time for the Los Angeles Kings before, it is now. Drew Doughty is out for the rest of the season due to wrist surgery, which means the Kings’ attempt at getting back to the playoffs for the first time since 2018 will have to come without their top defenseman.
But right now, the Kings are in complete free-fall mode having lost five of seven and have to find a way to correct course in a hurry after an abysmal loss to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. The Kings will try to do that in Chicago on Tuesday when they face the struggling Blackhawks.
Los Angeles should be commended for the season it has and the position it finds itself in with just a handful of games to go. The additions they made, along with the development of their young players, shows positive signs of the future. But with Doughty out, and now questions arising in goal, the Kings only find themselves up two points on the Vegas Golden Knights for third place in the Pacific Division with Vegas having a game in hand.
The lowest point might have been reached on Sunday when the Kings took a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes, then giving up six unanswered to Minnesota in a 6-3 loss for the road team. Cal Petersen made 27 saves before turning into a shriveled up pumpkin before our eyes, and the Kings failed to capitalize when needed most.
"You score a power-play goal, you score a shorthanded goal, you get a 3-0 lead on the road, there's no reason why you're not in it at the end of the night, and we weren't," Kings coach Todd McLellan. "Really disappointing."
That’s the ultimate sign that things aren’t going your way. The Kings scored in every way imaginable within the first 10 minutes. Once the first one went in, things went downhill. Even with a 3-2 lead after the first period, things just didn’t make any sense for them.
"We have to learn how to respond to their goal and push back instead of sitting back," Kings forward Phillip Danault said. "I think that's the mistake we did again today, but we have to learn to move on."
The good news for the Kings is they’ll have an easy time to move on when facing the Blackhawks. Because a junior team could probably face the Blackhawks right now and beat them, which as an organization, is exactly what they deserve. Chicago lost 6-4 to the Dallas Stars on Sunday for their seventh straight loss.
"Overall, I thought we competed much better," Blackhawks coach Derek King said. "Happy with the way we competed. We had some chances, we just couldn't score. I'm sure we could have used a couple of stops here and there. I'm sure the goalies feel the same way. I'll never throw goalies or anything (under the bus). We need to be better in front of them, I guess, and clean up some of the mess.”
It’s hard to actually play better in front of the goalies when Kevin Lankinen has been as bad as he has. Let’s just say Marc-Andre Fleury would not have saved this group right now. Things aren’t as good right now. Just fast forward to the offseason so we can see the rebuild at its ultimate peak.
Prediction
As much as the Golden Knights would like to see the Blackhawks help them with a fun little upset, no way that happens. The Kings are just so much better than that group and there’s no reason why the Kings can’t handle Chicago. If not, it might be DEFCON 1 in Los Angeles right now. Kings win 5-2
Betting trends
Kings are 25-31 off a road loss over the past three seasons.
Kings are 16-16 off three or more straight losses the past three seasons.
Blackhawks are 44-56 the last three seasons after playing a division game.
Blackhawks are 2-10 this season following a home game when both teams scored three or more goals.
Projected lines
Kings:
Alex Iafallo -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore -- Phillip Danault -- Viktor Arvidsson
Carl Grundstrom -- Quinton Byfield -- Gabriel Vilardi
Brendan Lemieux -- Rasmus Kupari -- Arthur Kaliyev
Matt Roy -- Sean Durzi
Olli Maatta -- Jordan Spence
Alexander Edler -- Troy Stecher
Jonathan Quick
Blackhawks:
Philipp Kurashev -- Jonathan Toews -- Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat - Dylan Strome - Taylor Raddysh
Lukas Reichel -- Kirby Dach -- Sam Lafferty
MacKenzie Entwistle -- Reese Johnson -- Henrik Borgstrom
Seth Jones -- Calvin de Haan
Jake McCabe -- Riley Stillman
Alex Vlasic -- Erik Gustafsson
Kevin Lankinen
Statistical leaders
Kings:
Points: Anze Kopitar -- 61
Goals: Adrian Kempe -- 32
Assists: Anze Kopitar -- 43
Goalie: Jonathan Quick -- 17-13-9, 2.67 GAA, .908 SV%
Blackhawks:
Points: Patrick Kane -- 82
Goals: Alex DeBrincat -- 39
Assists: Patrick Kane -- 60
Goalie: Kevin Lankinen -- 4-12-6, 2.67 GAA, .908 SV%
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Los Angeles Kings - Chicago Blackhawks prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.