Los Angeles Kings hockey is finally back as the 4 Nations Face-Off break is over and the Kings are set to play their first game since Feburary 8th. They will return to their home ice to play the Utah Hockey Club and look to extend their point streak to five games.
The Kings have been very good at home this season and have a 17-3-2 and have outscored opponents 72-47 in those games. However, Utah is actually a pretty good road team with a winning record of 15-11-3. They are even tougher when they score first in those road games with a 11-2-1 record.
It seems like the key to this game will be to score first because when the Kings score first in home games they are an impressive 12-1-1.
Final Score Prediction: Los Angeles Kings 4, Utah Hockey Club 1
Prior to the break, the Los Angeles Kings were probably scoring the best they had all season with 16 goals over the final four games. This was due in large part to Kevin Fiala, who had five of those goals during that stretch. There is no reason to think that Fiala can't keep that production up and is a big reason for my score prediction.
For Utah, they are dealing with some questions at goalie entering this game as Karel Vejmelka was considered day-to-day due to an illness. If he does play, he might not be at 100% which could be an advantage for the Kings.
The Kings are entering this game the healthiest they have been all season with Drew Doughty now back to playing at a level fans have come to expect and Mikey Anderson set to return from his finger injury. This should be a good statement game and build momentum into a tough week ahead with games against Vegas, Vancouver and then at Dallas.