Fact checked at 7:17 AM ET, Nov 12, 2026Odds as of 6:21 AM ET, Nov 12, 2026
The Islanders (7-6-4) are in Los Angeles at 10:00 PM ET for the second game of a three-game California trip. They haven't won in four (0-2-2), including a 3-2 shootout loss in San Jose three nights ago. The Kings (5-9-2) are 2-6-0 at home and lost their last two there, 5-2 to Pittsburgh and 3-0 to Nashville. Los Angeles is a slight favorite anyway, with the total at 5.5. It won the first meeting 3-2 in overtime earlier this season.
One read drives all three picks: the Islanders give up shots, not goals. They allow 29.2 shots a game, seventh-most in the league, and 130 over their last three games. They also allow just 2.94 goals a game, 10th-fewest, because Ilya Sorokin has a .914 save percentage and the penalty kill is fourth in the league at 86.7%. The Kings are the reverse. They're 24th in scoring at 2.81 goals a game and 30th on the penalty kill at 65.4%, and their .878 team save percentage ranks 26th. So the picture is the Kings getting their shots without much to show for them, and the Islanders' top line getting on the scoresheet at the other end.
The Islanders are expected to start Sorokin, and the Kings could go with Darcy Kuemper (.878) or Anton Forsberg (.907). Kevin Fiala hasn't played this season, but he skated on the Kings' second line and top power-play unit at the last practice. Defensemen Drew Doughty and Erik Gustafsson missed it.
Islanders vs. Kings Predictions
- Pick #1Quinton Byfield Under 0.5 Points+105
- Pick #2Bo Horvat Over 0.5 Points−150
- Pick #3Alex Laferriere Over 2.5 Shots on Goal−125
Pick #1Quinton Byfield Under 0.5 Points+105
Byfield has gone without a point in 11 of his 14 games, though he played only 2:44 in one of those 11. Last season he came up empty in 46 of 79 games (58.2%). The Under still pays plus money: +105 needs only 48.8%.
All three of his scoring nights were two-point games, twice against San Jose and once against Ottawa, and the Kings scored four, six and seven goals in them. They have scored two or fewer in nine of 16 games. Three of his four goals have come on the power play, and the penalty kill is the hardest part of the Islanders' game to beat.
Fiala could change that. He skated on Byfield's wing and with him on the top power-play unit at the last practice. If Fiala makes his season debut tonight, Byfield gets a skilled winger. The Kings' power play also has seven goals in five games on this homestand.
Pick #2Bo Horvat Over 0.5 Points−150
Horvat shares the team lead with 17 points, and he has at least one in 13 of 17 games. He plays 21:05 a night, he centered Simon Holmström and Kyle Palmieri at the last practice, and four of his seven goals have come on the power play. The Kings kill 65.4% of their penalties. Only two teams are worse. They have also allowed three or more goals in 10 of 16 games.
It's a short price. At -150 the bar is 60.0%, and last season he had a point in 40 of 68 games (58.8%), just under it. The two seasons together come to 53 of 85 (62.4%). He did have a point in both meetings with the Kings last season. We're paying for this season's form and this opponent.
A quiet night from the Islanders' offense would do it in. New York is tied for 22nd in scoring at 2.82 goals a game and 28th on the power play at 15.4%. In the first meeting Horvat had five shots and no points, and Kuemper made 41 saves.
Pick #3Alex Laferriere Over 2.5 Shots on Goal−125
Shots are what the Islanders give away. They've allowed 39, 50 and 41 in their last three games, and Laferriere has put 5, 7, 3, 4, 7 and 5 on net in his last six.
The run came after a job change. Eleven games ago the Kings moved him to center on the top line with Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe, and he has cleared 2.5 in seven of the 11. He was on that line and on the top power-play unit at the last practice.
Over a longer stretch he falls short of the price. He has cleared 2.5 in 8 of 16 games this season and did it in 37 of 82 last season, and -125 means a 55.6% break-even. That leaves the top-line role and an opponent that gives up shots as the reasons to bet it. He had two shots in 22 minutes against the Islanders in the first meeting, on the same line. A Kings lead would mean fewer attempts late, and Fiala would take some of the power-play shots if he returns.
21+ (18+ where permitted). Odds subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
