{"id":482382,"date":"2026-01-20T09:42:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=482382"},"modified":"2026-01-20T09:42:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:42:18","slug":"nhl-predictions-january-20-new-york-rangers-los-angeles-kings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/20\/nhl-predictions-january-20-new-york-rangers-los-angeles-kings\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: January 20th, New York Rangers vs Los Angeles Kings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey<\/em> look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and trends, then makes predictions based on how the game might play out. <\/span>Don\u2019t forget to check out more NHL Predictions as the 2025 season continues. Who are you taking, the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers?<\/span><\/p>\n

NHL Predictions Rangers and Kings<\/h2>\n

Season Series:<\/strong> First of two meetings, last year the Kings won the series 2-0.<\/p>\n

Time:<\/strong> 10:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 7:00 p.m. Pacific<\/p>\n

How to Watch<\/a><\/span>: MSG, FanDuel Sports Network West. ESPN+<\/span><\/h3>\n

Location:<\/strong> Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California<\/p>\n

New York Rangers<\/a>\u00a0Analysis<\/h3>\n

New York has leaned into its identity over recent weeks. That involves structured defence, elite goaltending, and timely scoring, rather than overwhelming shot volume. The Rangers are at their best when they control pace, limit high-danger chances, and capitalize on mistakes through their top players and power play.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their defensive pairings have been effective at keeping play to the outside. When<\/span>\u00a0breakdowns do occur, goaltending has consistently bailed them out. If the Rangers can establish their forecheck early and avoid chasing the game, they\u2019re well-equipped to handle a disciplined Kings team.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Gavi with a BLAST \ud83e\udee1 pic.twitter.com\/bU7uxp9UDm<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 20, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Los Angeles Kings Story<\/h3>\n

Los Angeles thrives on puck possession and a heavy forechecking game that wears teams down over 60 minutes. The Kings don\u2019t rely on a single superstar to carry the load. Instead, their scoring depth and system-driven approach make them difficult to play against, especially at home.<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, the Kings can struggle when forced into track-meet style hockey. If New York is able to strike first and force Los Angeles to open things up, the game could tilt away from the Kings\u2019 preferred style.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Back to work pic.twitter.com\/X6PgfPCAwe<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 LA Kings (@LAKings) January 19, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Key Matchup<\/h3>\n

The battle between the Rangers\u2019 transition game and the Kings\u2019 forecheck will likely decide this one. If New York exits the zone cleanly and limits turnovers through the neutral zone, they\u2019ll generate quality chances off the rush. Conversely, sustained offensive-zone time for Los Angeles could test the Rangers\u2019 discipline and stamina.<\/span><\/p>\n

Special teams may also play a major role. The Rangers\u2019 power play remains a dangerous weapon, while the Kings will need to stay out of the box to keep this game at even strength. We are thinking it’ll be a tight game either way, given the teams just need to play their game, and they should be able to expose their opponents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Prop Bet of the Night<\/span><\/h3>\n

Total Goals Under 6.0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Both teams prefer structured, defensively responsible hockey, and neither is likely to allow this game to turn wide open. A close, low-scoring affair feels like the most probable outcome.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n

Disclaimer: Projected lineups are based on available data at time of writing. Please check social media and official team sources for the very latest lineup news before locking in any daily fantasy roster or prop wagers.<\/em><\/p>\n

Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and trends, then makes predictions based on how the game might play out. Don\u2019t forget to check out more NHL Predictions as the 2025 season continues. Who are you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5725,"featured_media":465874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14,4547,24,4548,4524],"tags":[6028,6122],"class_list":["post-482382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rangers","category-hockey","category-kings","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","tag-los-angeles-kings-predictions","tag-new-york-rangers-predictions"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5725"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482382"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":482409,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482382\/revisions\/482409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/465874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}