NHL Betting News
NHL Betting – Physical Play, Strong Goaltending, Timely Offense All Contribute To Kings’ Success
When the Los Angeles Kings qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs as the eighth and final playoff seed in the Western conference, there was division among the experts on their potential to get past an opening round matchup against the defending Western conference champion Vancouver Canucks. The Kings proved their doubters wrong in stunning fashion however, taking the first two games of the series on the road winning four of five overall to eliminate one of the Stanley Cup sportsbook favorites.
With the Presidents trophy winners out of the way, Los Angeles made easy work of the St. Louis Blues with a four-game sweep, before taking out the Phoenix Coyotes in the same fashion as the Canucks, needing just five games to advance past the Western conference finals. A combination of outstanding goaltending, quality offensive depth, and strong physical play has helped the Kings get through the west, and will be the difference once again as they play the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup finals.
The sports betting sites experts will tell you that in order to get to the Stanley Cup, a team needs to have solid goaltending, and Los Angeles has been the perfect illustration of that. Jonathan Quick carried the Kings through the regular season with a 35-21-13 record, including a phenomenal 1.95 GAA and .929 save percentage, and somehow has been even better in the playoffs with a 1.54 GAA and .946 save percentage for 12 wins in 14 games. With lightning fast reflexes and solid lateral movement, Quick has come up with some huge saves at crucial points in these betting playoffs that have helped make the difference.
The Kings ranked dead last in the sports bet NHL rankings in scoring during the regular season, but have been much better in that area during the playoffs with three goals or more in eight of their 12 postseason games. The addition of Jeff Carter to the second line alongside former Philadelphia Flyers’ teammate and friend Mike Richards has been instrumental in that success, as Los Angeles has averaged 2.76 goals per game in 21 contests since Carter was acquired, after averaging just 2.22 through the first 61. The top line of Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, and Justin Williams has been just as good, with power forwards Dustin Penner and Dwight King chipping in with some timely offense as well.
It is those power forwards that have been under the online sports betting radar as one of the biggest factors in the Kings’ success, as Los Angeles’ big bodies have helped keep opposing offenses from scoring with their physical play. Penner, King, Jordan Nolan, and Jarret Stoll are all big boys that have done a solid job laying out the body in checking roles, and that has taken its toll on the opposition’s most skilled players. The Kings are now more balanced at both ends of the ice with the ability to score goals and keep them out of their net as well, and that physical ability to wear opponents down will go a long way as they look to finish off the Devils and bring home the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
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