Ducks vs Kings Prediction, Player Props & Odds for Friday Night Hockey (Jan. 16)

• The Ducks and Kings are both within four points of a playoff spot.
• Los Angeles will be without several key forwards, including captain Anze Kopitar.
• See my Ducks vs Kings predictions, picks, and latest odds for Jan 16.

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The Anaheim Ducks (22-21-3) and Los Angeles Kings (19-16-11) will square off Friday night in the first leg of a pivotal home-and-home between Pacific Division rivals. This mini-series carries a lot of weight for both teams as they’re just two points apart in the standings and knocking on the door of a playoff spot.

Anaheim has struggled mightily to get results of late, winning just once over their past 10 games. That came in an impressive 3-1 victory over the powerhouse Dallas Stars.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles is going through their own set of problems. They enter play with only one win over the last five games, all of which were played within the conference.

Puck drop is set for 10:30 PM ET from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Let’s dive into my Ducks vs Kings prediction, as well as player props, odds, and projected lineups.

Ducks vs Kings Prediction

• Pick: Under 6.5 goals (-130 at DraftKings)

This one is a little ugly, but value is value, and I see it here. The Kings have quietly defended very well of late, ranking 1st in expected goals against per 60 at 5-on-5 over the past 10 games. This, while playing at the 27th highest pace, meaning they are focused more on structure and grinding things out than opening the floor to trade chances.

They would be hard-pressed to play any other way, given the absences they’re dealing with. Top line center Anze Kopitar is sidelined with an injury, as are depth wingers Joel Armia and Trevor Moore.

Anze Kopitar is out for the rest of the game after sustaining a lower-body injury in the first period. pic.twitter.com/cXxuHnW6ej

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 6, 2026

Los Angeles is also without Corey Perry due to personal reasons pertaining to his family. That is a big loss as he sits 4th on the team in goals and has been bested by only Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala on a per-game basis.

The Kings have predictably struggled to put the puck in the net of late, scoring only seven times over the past four games. While the Ducks have bled goals this season, they rank 11th in expected goals against per 60 and 2nd in 5-on-5 shot share over their last 10. They are showing signs of improvement defensively.

Conversely, they rank 25th in 5-on-5 goals over the last 10 games and are also dealing with some injuries and illnesses to key personnel. This could be a lower-scoring matchup than anticipated.

Ducks vs Kings Player Props

Brandt Clarke Over 1.5 shots (-154 at DraftKings)

Clarke has shot the puck more this season, especially on home soil. He has averaged 2.4 shots on goal per game in Los Angeles while clearing this line in 16 of 23 appearances (70%). The volume should continue to be there against a Ducks team that has allowed the 7th most shots to blueliners over the last 10 games.

Troy Terry Over 1.5 shots (-140 at DraftKings)

Assuming Terry returns to the lineup tonight, this is a pretty low bar to clear. He is averaging 2.4 shots this season and has gone over this total at a 67% clip. He also owns a great track record against the Kings, recording multiple shots on target in 10 of the last 12 head-to-head meetings.

Ducks vs Kings Odds

The Kings are trading as -135 favorites, giving them an applied winning percentage of of 57.4% on home ice. The Ducks are +114 road ‘dogs, signalling a 46.7% chance they win their second game in a row.

Los Angeles carries a +172 price tag to cover the puck line of -1.5. The payout is rightfully juicy as they’ve won by multiple goals only twice since December 9th.

Odds via DraftKings as of 3:00 PM ET. Grab a DraftKings promo code and check out the latest NHL odds for tonight’s games.

Ducks vs Kings Projected Lineups

Ducks Projected Lineup

Forwards

Chris Kreider – Mason McTavish – Ryan Strome
Alex Killorn – Mikael Granlund – Beckett Sennecke
Cutter Gauthier – Ryan Poehling – Troy Terry
Ross Johnston – Tim Washe – Jansen Harkins

Defense

Jackson LaCombe – Jacob Trouba
Olen Zellweger – Radko Gudas
Pavel Mintyukov – Drew Helleson

Goaltenders

Lukas Dostal
Ville Husso

Injuries: Cutter Gauthier (illness), Leo Carlsson (lower-body), Frank Vatrano (upper-body), Petr Mrazek (lower-body).

Kings Projected Lineup

Jeff Mallott – Alex Laferriere – Adrian Kempe
Warren Foegele – Quinton Byfield – Taylor Ward
Kevin Fiala – Alex Turcotte – Andrei Kuzmenko
Andre Lee – Samuel Helenius

Defense

Mikey Anderson – Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson – Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin – Cody Ceci
Jacob Moverare

Goaltenders

Darcy Kuemper
Anton Forsberg

Injuries: Trevor Moore (upper-body), Anze Kopitar (lower-body), Joel Armia (upper-body), Corey Perry (personal).

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Lukas Dostal is likely to get the nod in goal for the Ducks. He won his most recent start and has only had to play once since January 10th, meaning he should be well rested for this big divisional clash.

Darcy Kuemper is expected between the pipes for the home team. He has helped the Kings earn at least a point in 20 of his 30 starts and owns a respectable .904 save percentage on the season.