Vancouver Canucks vs Los Angeles Kings Prediction, 4/9/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Vancouver Canucks vs Los Angeles Kings

Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Fanduel Sports Network West

The Los Angeles Kings (31-26-19) will compete against the Vancouver Canucks (22-46-8) at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday.

The Vancouver Canucks were on the losing side of the ice with a 7-4 defeat to the Mammoth in their previous outing. Vancouver had 12 minutes in the box in this contest. The Canucks had a good offensive output in the loss. Furthermore, they had 4 chances with extra men on the ice and were able to net 2 goals. In the game, they scored on 4 of the 23 shots they attempted.

Regarding scoring goals, the Vancouver Canucks have notched 196 goals (31st in the NHL) on the season and have given up 293. For the year, they have racked up 52 points and their points % is .342. Vancouver has 222 power play chances and they have scored 46 goals out of those tries, garnering them a rate of 20.72%. While at even strength, the Canucks let the opposition score 231 goals while earning 150 on offense. Vancouver has attempted 1,988 shots and has a shooting percentage of 9.9%. The Canucks have had 2,262 shots taken against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .870. Vancouver Canucks opponents have earned 218 power play opportunities (19th in professional hockey) and have tallied 62 goals in those chances.

The player in the crease for this game is Kevin Lankinen. Lankinen has played in 207 games during his pro hockey career. He has compiled a record of 79-84-27 and he was named the starter in 190 games. The opposition has been able to score 600 goals versus Lankinen in his pro hockey career and his average for goals against per game is 3.16. Lankinen has had 5,900 shot attempts against him and he has 5,300 saves. His save percentage currently is .898 in his 8,739 minutes played. In his professional hockey career, Lankinen has 96 quality starts and his quality starts percentage sits at .505.

In their last outing, Los Angeles went up against the Predators in an outing where the Kings got the tie by a tally of 2-2. The Kings notched 2 goals out of the 28 shots on goal they tried. They had 1 power play chance in this one but weren't able to put one in the back of the net.

Los Angeles has taken 2,130 shots (18th in pro hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 9.58%, while allowing their opponents 2,067 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 75.00% on the other teams 232 tries on the power play, and their save percentage is currently 89.1%. They have recorded 217 opportunities on the power play and they have a power play rate of 17.05%. The Kings have earned 167 goals at even strength and 37 goals (27th in hockey) while having more men on the ice. They have allowed 225 goals to be scored by of a combination of 167 goals at even strength and 58 goals while they had less men on the ice. During this campaign, the Los Angeles Kings have 204 goals, 81 points, and a points percentage of .533.

On the other side of the ice you are likely to see Darcy Kuemper patrolling the crease. Kuemper has accumulated a lifetime record of 228-160-67 and has played in 488 games. Kuemper's percentage of quality starts comes out to 55.7% and he has earned 260 quality starts in his hockey career. He has recorded 12,389 stops out of 13,574 shots tried, giving him a percentage of .913. Teams are averaging 2.54 goals per contest and he has relinquished 1,185 goals altogether. He has started in 467 contests and has racked up 23,385 mins.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh's Pick: Take Los Angeles

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