Boston Bruins (29-4-4) vs. Los Angeles Kings (22-13-6)
The 2022-23 NHL season goes on Thursday, January 5, with the Boston Bruins facing off against the Los Angeles Kings in the cross-conference showdown at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, and the puck drop is set for 10:30 PM ET.
Boston and Los Angeles close down their two-game regular-season set, and the Bruins open as -155 moneyline favorites with a total of 6.0 goals. Back on December 15, Boston lost to LA 3-2 in a shootout as a -240 home fave.
The Boston Bruins are coming off Monday’s 2-1 victory to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston. They bounced back from a 4-3 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on New Year’s Eve and avoided the second straight defeat once more. The Bruins have yet to lose two games in a row in 2022-23 which tells you a lot about their form.
Boston outshot Pittsburgh 2-1 and overcame a one-goal deficit in the third period. Jake DeBrusk scored a couple of goals to increase his season tally to 30 points (G16, A14), while Linus Ullmark turned 26 shots aside to grab his fourth consecutive win.
“It's just pure joy and happiness afterwards,” Ullmark said. “It's something I've dreamt about for 14 years, since I saw the first Winter Classic at home in Sweden. I always dreamt about it. I was always very jealous of the people that have played before me and had the opportunity.”
The Hallsy Hop ??@hallsy09 | #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/FcTu29I9e0
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 3, 2023
Linus Ullmark now boasts a ridiculous 21-1-1 record to go with a terrific 1.86 GAA and .939 save percentage, while Jeremy Swayman is 7-3-3 with a 2.68 GAA and .897 save percentage in 2022-23. The Bruins haven’t announced who’ll patrol the crease Thursday in LA.
Boston owns the lowest-scoring defense in the NHL (2.16 goals per game) and the best penalty-killing percentage in the league (85.1%). The Bruins rank second in goals for (3.73 per game) and sixth in power-play percentage (37-for-137).