The New Jersey Devils face the Los Angeles Kings in a regular season NHL game on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. 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 stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out.

The Rangers look to close their road trip with three straight wins when they visit the Kraken on Saturday night.

The Red Wings had a strong start to their trip through the Golden State. After outlasting the St. Louis Blues to begin their five-game road trip, Detroit managed to pull out a 4-3 shootout victory against a challenging Los Angeles Kings team on Thursday night.

Hughes, 26, is a past Norris Trophy winner, voted the NHL’s top defenseman in 2024, while Hutson, 21, won the Calder Trophy last season as the League’s top rookie. Hughes finished second in the Calder race in 2019-20 behind Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche.

While Colorado wants to push the pace and use its speed, skill and pizzazz to overwhelm opponents, the Golden Knights take a more pragmatic approach. Vegas has plenty of game-breakers at the top of the lineup, but the Knights’ defensive prowess is what separates them from the chasing pack.

Matthew Wood, who was recalled from the Milwaukee Admirals on Oct. 23, scored his first NHL goal for the Nashville Predators on Oct. 30.

Now, the team enters the Golden State, taking on a Kings team that has been solid thus far, but has expectations of finally winning a playoff series. Los Angeles has won back-to-back games, including a victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, and four of the team’s last five.