Los Angeles Kings A Near Lock For Final In NHL Betting Lines

Pack your bags, Los Angeles.

Or don’t, because you’re already in Los Angeles.

But get ready somehow for the championship round because the Kings are just a win away from their first Stanley Cup final in 19 years after taking a 3-0 series lead last night. The NHL’s “team of destiny” has destroyed the western conference with 11 wins in 12 games and have a chance to set the league record for winning-percentage in a single postseason.

The 1988 Edmonton Oilers hold the record at .888 after going 16-2. If Los Angeles sweeps the Coyotes this weekend, it could lose a game in the championship and still tie the record. It has trailed for only 127 seconds in their series against Phoenix.

That defecit came early in the first period last night and lasted only until Anze Kopitar put one past Mike Smith with a nifty fake out.

“That was it – the only window of opportunity Phoenix has had in 180 minutes of ice time lasted as long as a commercial break,” wrote Yahoo! Sports’ Jay Hart.

We’ve written about it for weeks now how the Kings came out of nowhere but it’s not like they are just winning at a higher clip than other teams this year. They are winning at a better pace than any team in hockey history. They are as close to unbeatable as any team has ever been, now favored by Bovada’s NHL Playoff Betting Lines regardless if they are home or away.

They will surely be series favorites in Stanley Cup Futures, regardless if their opponent is the New York Rangers or New Jersey Devils. The Rangers haven’t won back-to-back games since round one, and the Devils aren’t looking exactly dominant.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles has displayed so much depth that their opponents are lacking. Third line rookie winger Dwight King scored the game-winner last night, his fifth goal this postseason. What other team can say that?

“I don’t think we expect anything,” Kings’ captain Dustin Brown told Yahoo! Sports. “The only thing I think we’re telling ourselves right now is if we work, do all the right things – the little things together as a team – we put ourselves in a good opportunity to win.

“This time of year you don’t expect anything ‘cuz there’s a reason the Phoenix Coyotes are in the Western Conference final, and it’s not because they got lucky or anything. They work hard, which we have to match that work. If we match their work and execute our plays, I like our chances.”

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *