The Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings will face off in L.A. on Tuesday night as the puck drops on the 2022-23 NHL season.
The Golden Knights surprisingly missed the playoffs last season due to some injuries and underperformances. They didn't get much better in the offseason, either, with goaltender Robin Lehner out for the season and forward Max Pacioretty shipped out to Carolina.
On the other side, the Kings nearly upset the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of last year's playoffs. They return much of their same group while adding Kevin Fiala for some more scoring up front.
Here are my NHL picks and predictions for Tuesday's Golden Knights vs. Kings matchup (odds via BetMGM, DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).