Feb. 5, 2026, 6:28 a.m. ET

The LA Kings (23-18-14) and Vegas Golden Knights (26-16-14) meet Thursday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Puck drop is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Kings vs. Golden Knights and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

Season series: Tied 1-1

The Kings won the first meeting Oct. 8 in Las Vegas 6-5 in a shootout as moderate underdogs (+170) as the Over (5.5) cashed. The Golden Knights won 3-2 in overtime Jan. 14 in Los Angeles as slight favorites (-125) as the Under (5.5) connected.

The Kings made a huge splash in the trade market, acquiring F Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers for a prospect and third-round draft pick, while the Rangers agreed to take on 50 percent of his $11.6 million AAV. The deal gets done right before the Olympic break.

L.A. can use the help, too, as it suffered a 4-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken Wednesday night, slipping to 1-2-1 in the past 4 games, while averaging just 2.0 goals per game (GPG) in the span. The Under is 4-1 in the past 5 outings.

In back-to-back situations, the Kings are 5-1-3 in the past 9 games on no rest, with 3 straight going to either OT or SO, and 6 games on no rest this season which were not able to be decided in overtime. The Under is 7-2 in those games, too, including 7-1 in the past 8 games.

Watch the NHL on Fubo!Kings at Golden Knights odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:19 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Kings +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Golden Knights -140 (bet $140 to win $100)Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Kings +1.5 (-210) | Golden Knights -1.5 (+170)Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -105 | U: -115)Kings at Golden Knights projected goalies

Anton Forsberg (9-6-5, 2.50 GAA, .909 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Adin Hill (3-3-3, 3.51 GAA, .856 SV%) 

Forsberg coughed up 3 goals on 34 shots in a 3-2 OTL Sunday in Carolina in his most recent appearance, and he has given up 3 or fewer goals in 4 consecutive starts and 2 relief appearances.

Hill is confirmed to start. He was much better last time out, allowing 3 goals on 22 shots in a 4-3 loss at Anaheim. In his previous 2 outings he had allowed 11 goals on just 59 shots, going 0-1-1 in those outings. He allowed 5 goals on 26 shots in the 6-5 SOL to the Kings Oct. 8.

Kings at Golden Knights picks and predictionsPrediction

Kings 3, Golden Knights 2

The KINGS (+115) are worth a look as short dogs in this final game before the Olympic break. We lean Los Angeles based on its successful record in games on no rest. In addition, the goaltender scales are slightly tipped in favor of the Kings, too, as Hill appears to still be knocking off some rust.

The Golden Knights just haven’t been playing great lately, too, despite what was supposed to be a high-powered offensive attack. Perhaps the Olympics break, and some rest, will do VGK good.

The Kings +1.5 (-210) are a little too expensive for my liking for a standalone play, costing you more than 2 times your potential return. However, if you were to fold them into a multi-leg parlay, that would be perfectly OK.

PASS on a straight up play.

UNDER 6 (-115) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at best.

Again, the Under is 7-1 in the past 8 games for the Kings when playing on no rest, and Los Angeles has managed just 2.0 GPG in the past 4 games, too.

For VGK, the Over-Under has split 2-2 in the past 4 home games, while it is the Over going 6-2 in the past 8 outings, so be cautious.

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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