The Los Angeles Kings are the NHL's lone winless team this season, and they could remain that way Tuesday when they visit Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. The game is a 7 p.m. ET puck drop, and DraftKings lists the Capitals as -155 money-line favorites with an Over/Under of 5.5 goals.
Bettors are backing Washington heavily, with 83% of handle and 78% of wagers on the Capitals. The Kings are 0-4-2 and have a long way to go to match the NHL record for longest winless start to a season, which is 15 games by the 1943-44 New York Rangers. Los Angeles has a franchise record to chase as well: the 1984-85 club went winless in its first nine games and still made the playoffs.
The Kings' struggles are on both ends of the ice. Their goaltending ranks among the league's worst, with Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg posting a 4.17 goals-against average and an .861 save percentage. The penalty kill sits 31st at 61.9%, and the offense is averaging just 2.00 goals per game, also 31st in the NHL. Injuries to Kevin Fiala, Alex Turcotte and Mats Zuccarello have added to the problem, though coach Peter Laviolette said Zuccarello is trending toward playing tonight.
Captain Drew Doughty pointed to his top players as the problem, saying they need to be their best every night rather than showing only flashes of brilliance. Los Angeles has been in this spot before, starting 1-3-2 last season before reaching the playoffs, but the schedule offers little relief on this five-game road trip.
Source: CBS Sports NHL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing