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Chicago (11-9-6) at Los Angeles (12-7-7)
- When: Dec 4 2025, 10:00 PM
- Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- TV: ESPN+/Hulu
Chicago vs Los Angeles NHL Preview & Pick
Moneyline: Los Angeles -230
Spread: Los Angeles -1.5 (+120)
Total: 5.5
Chicago Blackhawks: Young Chaos Meets Growing Pains
The Blackhawks are basically taking a road trip that feels like a school field trip where the teacher forgot the permission slips. They opened the trip with a shootout loss to Vegas, which is impressive considering they are 1 and 6 in games extending past regulation. At this point, overtime might as well be their personal haunted house.
Chicago’s underlying story is actually pretty encouraging. Their coach loved the performance, which is usually code for “the result was terrible, but I have to say something optimistic.” They even outplayed Vegas for long stretches, which is shocking because Vegas rarely allows that unless it is April and the Stanley Cup is already in their fridge.
Connor Bedard continues to carry the team like a college student dragging a broken suitcase through the airport. He scored his 17th of the season and once again reminded everyone that he is, in fact, the future. The problem is the present, which includes mis-timed line changes, defensive lapses, and moments where it genuinely looks like the Blackhawks are playing with a controller that keeps disconnecting.
Still, Chicago’s energy is good, their effort is better, and their late game discipline is… well, let us call it a work in progress.
Los Angeles Kings: Low Scoring, High Tension, and a Goal Drought
The Kings come in looking like a team that misplaced its offense behind the washing machine. They have been held to two goals or fewer in four of their last five games, which is not exactly ideal when you are facing a team with nothing to lose and a teenager who scores for fun.
Their recent 3 to 1 loss to the Capitals snapped a five game point streak and highlighted the continued disappearance of Phillip Danault’s scoring touch. He has now gone 26 games without a goal this season, which is approaching archaeological timeline levels.
Coach Jim Hiller has been shuffling lines like a blackjack dealer on his 14th hour of a shift. Quinton Byfield got moved back to the top line to see if any leftover magic from last year still exists. Spoiler: it did not result in goals, but at least the experiment made sense on paper.
Adrian Kempe continues to be the steady heartbeat of the Kings offense, because someone has to be.
What the Kings do have going for them is structure, defense, and the fact that the Blackhawks struggle to finish close games. Los Angeles already beat Chicago 3 to 1 earlier this season, and they match up well again.
Betting Outlook
The Kings are the better team, the deeper team, and the less chaotic team. Given the styles of play, this shapes up as another tight, low scoring meeting where Los Angeles slowly grinds Chicago down.
Final Score Prediction
The moneyline favorite holds and the total stays tight, but expect the Blackhawks to make this one far more interesting than the odds suggest.
Score Prediction: Kings 3, Blackhawks 2
Pick: Chicago +1.5 (-140)
Total: Under 5.5 (-103)
- NHL Odds source: Bovada Sportsbook
