Kings vs Sharks Prediction, Player Prop Picks & Projected Lineups – Tuesday Night Hockey

• I’ve made my Sharks vs Kings prediction for Tuesday night’s game at SAP Center
• Los Angeles closes out a five-game road trip looking for its second straight regulation win
• See my Kings vs Sharks prediction below, plus player props and projected lineups for Tuesday, October 28th

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The Kings visit the Sharks on Tuesday night in the finale of a five-game road trip that’s seen Los Angeles collect points in four straight games. This late-night matchup wraps up ESPN’s Frozen Frenzy, a 16-game slate with all 32 NHL teams in action and staggered start times throughout the evening.

San Jose is still searching for its first regulation win of the season after blowing three two-goal leads in Sunday’s 6-5 overtime victory against Minnesota. LA finally got its first regulation victory on Sunday with a 3-1 win in Chicago, and the Kings will look to keep that momentum going against a Sharks team that ranks dead last in goals against per game.

Puck drop is set for 11:00 pm ET from SAP Center in San Jose, with ESPN handling the broadcast. Here is my Kings vs Sharks prediction for Thursday’s game:

Kings vs Sharks Prediction

• Puck Line Prediction: LA Kings -1.5

My Kings vs Sharks prediction starts with the massive gap in underlying metrics. Los Angeles dominates in possession, posting a 56.6% Corsi for percentage and 60.2% Fenwick for percentage. But the real separation comes in expected goals, where the Kings control 68.3% compared to San Jose’s 48.7%.

Possession Metrics Comparison

The Kings have been exceptional defensively, allowing just 52 shots against in roughly 142 minutes of play. They control 70% of high-danger chances, which shows they’re not just generating volume but quality as well. Per the NHL odds, that defensive structure makes them one of the best road teams in hockey right now.

San Jose’s issues are glaring. The Sharks allow 4.67 goals per game, worst in the NHL. They’re getting outshot 32.78 to 24.11 per game, and their save percentage of .858 ranks 30th. Those numbers don’t lie – this is a team that bleeds chances and goals.

Darcy Kuemper gets the start for LA with a 2-2-2 record and 2.78 GAA. He’s been solid in his recent starts, posting a .935 save percentage against Dallas and .944 against St. Louis. Yaroslav Askarov is expected for San Jose, and while he’s talented, he’s sporting an ugly .855 SV% behind this weak defense.

Kings vs Sharks 2025-26 Stats

The shot differential tells the story. LA averages +1.80 per game while San Jose is -8.67. That’s a 10-shot swing between these teams over the course of a game.

Special teams could be a factor. San Jose has a solid power play at 28.13% (7th in the NHL), but their penalty kill ranks 29th at just 65.63%. The Kings rank 15th on the power play at 21.43%, and they should get opportunities against that leaky PK.

Kings vs Sharks Player Props

Here’s a look at the anytime goal-scorer market for tonight’s matchup, which are the most fun NHL player props available. Who doesn’t love betting on goals, right?

Top Anytime Goal Scorer Odds

The Kings dominate the top of the goal scorer odds, with six players in the top 10. Kempe offers the best combination of value and probability at +145, while Celebrini leads San Jose’s options at +210 coming off his hot four-game scoring streak.

Best Kings vs Sharks Prop Pick:

• Player Prop Pick: Adrian Kempe Goal (+145)

Adrian Kempe is my top player prop target for this game at +185 to +220 for anytime goal scorer. He skates on the top line with Anze Kopitar and Andrei Kuzmenko, and he’s a key piece of LA’s power play unit.

Kempe has five goals in 10 games this season, shooting at a scorching 15.6% clip. That’s well above his 12.7% career average and a career-high. He’s averaging 3.2 shots per game, which gives him multiple opportunities to find the back of the net each night.

Adrian Kempe wins it in overtime and hits the “horns down” celly in Texas pic.twitter.com/5EiYAqD1kE

— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) October 24, 2025

The usage is there. Kempe is logging 19:12 of ice time per game and sits on PP1, where he already has one power play goal and three assists. He’s also scored goals in three consecutive games during his current hot streak, and all five of his goals this season have come on the road.

Against a Sharks defense that allows quality chances in the slot and ranks last in goals against, Kempe should get his looks. San Jose’s defensive structure has been miserable all season, and LA’s top line will attack those weaknesses.

Other props worth considering: Kevin Fiala or Quinton Byfield over 0.5 points. Both skate together on the second line and see power play time against a soft penalty kill. Macklin Celebrini over 0.5 points is also appealing for the Sharks; the rising star is on a four-game scoring streak with 15 points in nine games.

Kings vs Sharks Best Bets

The Kings -1.5 at +120 is my primary play. The underlying metrics support a multi-goal victory, and San Jose’s defensive issues make this a prime spot for LA to cover. The Kings are 13-3 in their last 16 games against teams with losing records, and they’re 7-1 in their last eight third games of a 3-in-4 situation.

San Jose is 8-43 in its last 51 games after allowing five or more goals, which happened on Sunday. They’re also 9-48 in their last 57 games against Western Conference opponents. Those trends are hard to ignore.

The over 5.5 at -110 is also worth parlaying with the LAK moneyline. Sharks games have consistently trended high-scoring, with the over hitting in five of their last six games against teams with losing records. The over is 4-0 in their last four games against the Western Conference. LA’s recent momentum means they’ll take advantage.

Warren Foegele is out for the Kings with an upper-body injury, which means Joel Armia should move up the lineup. Armia has six points in 10 games and has been excellent on the penalty kill. Jeff Malott is expected to draw back into the lineup after being scratched the last two games.

My Kings vs Sharks best bets:

• Kings -1.5 (+120)
• Over 5.5 (-135)
• Adrian Kempe anytime goal scorer (+145)

Kings vs Sharks Projected Lineups

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Kings Projected Lineup

Forwards
Andrei Kuzmenko – Anze Kopitar – Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala – Quinton Byfield – Alex Laferriere
Joel Armia – Phillip Danault – Trevor Moore
Jeff Malott – Alex Turcotte – Corey Perry

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

Goaltenders
Darcy Kuemper
Anton Forsberg

Injuries and Scratches:
Warren Foegele (upper body, out), Kyle Burroughs (upper body, out), Jacob Moverare (healthy scratch)

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Sharks Projected Lineup

Forwards
Tyler Toffoli – Macklin Celebrini – Will Smith
Philipp Kurashev – Alexander Wennberg – William Eklund
Collin Graf – Michael Misa – Jeff Skinner
Barclay Goodrow – Ty Dellandrea – Ryan Reaves

Defense
Dmitry Orlov – Timothy Liljegren
Mario Ferraro – John Klingberg
Sam Dickinson – Vincent Desharnais

Goaltenders
Yaroslav Askarov
Alex Nedeljkovic

Injuries and Scratches:
Adam Gaudette (upper body, out), Nick Leddy (upper body, questionable), Shakir Mukhamadullin (upper body, out), John Klingberg (lower body, returning), Vicent Iorio (healthy scratch), Patrick Giles (healthy scratch)

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