We talked about the concerns for New Jersey making just its second trip to the Pacific coast this week in the Stanley Cup finals, and each of those concerns came to fruition on Monday night. After losing two heartbreakers in overtime at home, the Devils were bulldozed by the Los Angeles Kings on the road in Game 3, and now stare down the possibility of being swept tonight.
The Kings host New Jersey in Game 4 Wednesday night., where they open as a 1 1/2-goal favorite, according to Bovada’s Kings vs Devils Game 4 Betting Lines, with a -190 moneyline.
Winning tonight means Los Angeles joins Wayne Gretzky and the 1988 Edmonton Oilers in the hockey history books, wrapping up the best postseason winning percentage (.888) of all time. The Kings are 10-0 on the road in the playoffs, and were a big underdog to sweep the series when it began. Winning tonight would cap one of the most improbable runs in hockey history, starting out as an eight-seed that barely made the tournament at all. Los Angeles had the worst odds to win the Cup at the start of the postseason, something that has made its backers a ton of money in the meantime. Now, it is a win away from becoming the first eight-seed ever to win the cup.
Goaltender Jonathan Quick posted his third shutout of the playoffs on Monday, and is now the odds-on favorite for the Conn Smyth Trophy in Bovada’s Stanley Cup Futures, given to the series’ most outstanding player. But his teammates are trying to keep everything in perspective and keep a level head.
“We can’t take anything for granted,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said on Covers. “It could have been two-nothing for them (before Game 3).”
But the odds aren’t good for Los Angeles to cough up the series. In fact, only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs have ever rebounded from a 3-0 defecit to win the Cup.
New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur stopped only 17 shots in Game 3, and looks far different than he did in the eastern playoffs. The Devils went 0 for 6 in man-advantage opportunities Monday, a stretch that included a 5 on 3.
“We’ve got to win four straight,” Devils forward Zach Parise said bluntly. “That’s our approach. Win the next one. That’s all we can do.”