Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Los Angeles Kings Picks and Prediction for Thursday, October 16, 2025
Use Code WWWC Pittsburgh Penguins (2-2-0) vs. Los Angeles Kings (1-2-1)
The 2025-26 NHL season continues Thursday, October 16, with the Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the Los Angeles Kings in the cross-conference showdown at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA, so here’s our Penguins vs. Kings prediction.
Pittsburgh meets LA for the first time this season. In 2024-25, the Penguins swept a two-game series against the Kings. The Pens beat the Kings 3-2 in overtime in Pittsburgh and 5-1 in Los Angeles.
Let’s take a closer look at this Penguins vs. Kings prediction, one of our NHL picks for Thursday’s slate. The Kings are firm -225 moneyline favorites with a total of 5.5 goals.
The Penguins hope to snap a two-game skid
The rebuilding Pittsburgh Penguins started their 2025-26 campaign with consecutive wins over the New York Rangers 3-0 on the road and the New York Islanders 4-3 at home. After that, the Pens suffered a heavy 6-1 home loss against the Rangers and a 4-3 road defeat at the Anaheim Ducks.
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Last Tuesday, the Penguins blew a 2-0 lead at Honda Center in Anaheim. They outshot the Ducks 25-22 on the night but gave up two power-play goals. Three players found the back of the net for Pittsburgh, including Justin Brazeau, while Sidney Crosby and Ryan Shea recorded two assists each.
Brazeau leads the way for the Penguins with four goals in four games. Evgeni Malkin is the team’s best assist-maker with six dishes, while Crosby and Shea have combined for seven assists. The Penguins rank 10th in the NHL in high-danger scoring chances (52.0%), but they are just 2-for-11 with the man advantage.
The Kings are off to a slow start
The Los Angeles Kings entered the 2025-26 season as legitimate playoff contenders. However, they’ve amassed just three points through their first four contests. After a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche and a 6-5 shootout win at the Vegas Golden Knights, the Kings suffered consecutive losses at the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 and the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in a shootout.
Last Monday, the Kings erased a three-goal deficit. They outshot Minnesota 34-26 and scored three goals in the third period while going 1-for-3 with the man advantage. However, the Kings yielded three power-play goals and missed each of their four attempts in a shootout.
Adrian Kempe leads the charge for the Kings with two goals and three assists in four games. Quinton Byfield has accounted for a couple of goals and assists, while Anze Kopitar has four dishes on his season tally. Darcy Kuemper is 0-2-1 with a 3.35 GAA and a .868 save percentage, and Anton Forsberg gave up five goals on 35 shots in that shootout victory over the Golden Knights.
Penguins vs. Kings Pick
Spread Pick for Penguins vs. Kings
- Los Angeles Kings -1.5 (5 units)
The Penguins’ goaltending duo has struggled a lot through the first four games of the season. Arturs Silovs posted a shutout in his Penguins debut but gave up six goals on 30 shots in his next date with the Rangers, while Tristan Jarry has allowed seven goals on 59 shots (.881 save percentage) across two appearances.
I don’t trust these two guys at all, so I don’t care who’ll get he starting call on Thursday night. The Penguins are not a bad offensive team, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired. On the other side, Darcy Kuemper can only play better, and the Kings desperately need their star goaltender at his best. I expect the Kings to beat the Penguins by at least two goals.
Over/Under Pick for Penguins vs. Kings
- Over 5.5 (5 units)
The Kings rank 14th in the NHL in high-danger scoring chances (51.0%) and are 3-for-13 with the man advantage. However, their penalty killing has been awful thus far (15-for-22). Last Monday, Minnesota converted three of its six power-play opportunities against Los Angeles.
I’m backing the Kings to win on the back of their powerful offense. As I mentioned, the Penguins have a lot of defensive flaws. Yet, the Pens have enough offensive weapons to hurt the Kings and push the total over the line.
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