PuckCast Edge
Betting edges, stake sizing, props priced against the line, fantasy tiers and the graded ledger. $14.99 a month in season, or $99 for the year.
2026-27 forecast · Sat, Apr 3, 10:30 PM ET
Darcy Kuemper · 0.891 SV%
The preseason ratings make Los Angeles Kings 52.1% to win at home — barely a lean at all, worth 2.1 points over a coin flip, which grades C. Over a full season those same ratings project LAK for 90 points and STL for 94.
A preseason forecast from each team's regressed rating and home ice, the ratings behind the projected standings. The full model read, with the starting goalies, rest and form, publishes within seven days of the game and replaces this page’s numbers. How the model works
LAK controlled play at 5v5 last season, 51.7% of the expected goals to 50.3%; LAK's power play ran at 17.1% against a STL kill at 76.7%.
In goal, neither team has named a starter. Last season Darcy Kuemper (LAK) saved -22.9 goals above expected to Jordan Binnington's -37.1, on save percentages of 0.891 and 0.873.
None of that is the model read. This is a rating-and-home-ice forecast; the full prediction — confirmed goalies, rest and form, priced against the market — publishes inside the seven days before puck drop and replaces these numbers. Los Angeles Kings over St. Louis Blues is where it starts, not where it ends.
No starter is named this far out. These are each side’s projected starters on the current roster, with last season’s numbers.
STL
Jordan Binnington
41 games, 2025-26
LAK
Darcy Kuemper
50 games, 2025-26
| STL | Metric | LAK |
|---|---|---|
| 50.3% | xGF% (5v5) | 51.7% |
| 47.8% | Shot share | 50.5% |
| 2.8 | Goals for / game | 2.6 |
| 3.1 | Goals against / game | 2.9 |
| 17.6% | Power play | 17.1% |
| 76.7% | Penalty kill | 75.3% |
| 49.4% | Faceoffs | 49.8% |
St. Louis Blues
| Player | Pos | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 22 | 50 | 72 | |
| R | 22 | 31 | 52 | |
| L | 19 | 30 | 49 | |
| C | 20 | 29 | 49 |
Los Angeles Kings
| Player | Pos | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | 25 | 47 | 72 |
| Date | Game | Pick | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-01 | STL @ LAK | LAK | STL 1–2 LAK | Correct |
| 2026-01-24 | LAK @ STL | LAK | LAK 6–5 STL | Correct |
| 2025-10-21 | LAK @ STL | STL | LAK 2–1 STL | Missed |
| Team | Proj. points | Playoff odds |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Blues | 94 | 50.0% |
| Los Angeles Kings | 90 | 44.3% |
Forecast method preseason-elo-v1; ratings as of 2026-08-19.
| R | 27 | 31 | 58 |
| R | 22 | 31 | 52 |
| L | 22 | 28 | 50 |