NHL Betting – The Kings are Making its Run

Los Angeles Kings @ Vancouver Canucks – Saturday March 2, 2013 10:00PM EST

The sportsbook experts would think that Los Angeles Kings fans are used to this by now. Once again, the Kings has started a season at the bottom of the standings but is now making its move up. The Kings is currently riding a five-game winning streak that has put the team into the playoff hunt and within seven points of the Pacific Division lead. Overcoming the high flying Anaheim Ducks may be a tall order at this point, but at least the Kings is putting itself in a position to defend its title after this shortened season.

It is easy for the sports betting experts to look at the Vancouver Canucks and say that the team is having goaltender issues again. Cory Schneider seems unable to take over as the number one goalie and the Canucks’ organization is rightfully hesitant to give the top goalie job back to Roberto Luongo because of Luongo’s long history of playoff failures. While it is true that the team is having problems defensively, it is also unable to be the powerhouse scoring team that fans are used to seeing. For the first time in a long time, the Canucks is right in the middle of the pack when it comes to scoring and that is just unusual to see.

Los Angeles Kings

Every online bookie calls the Los Angeles Kings the new “Cardiac Kids” because of what the team seems to put its fans through every season. But the reality is that the Kings is just a team that gets off to a slow start, but it really starts rolling when it gets into the later part of the season. This season things are different because the Kings is competing for the top of the Pacific Division after playing only 18 games. It normally takes Los Angeles a lot longer to get rolling, but this condensed season has changed the way that a lot of teams play.

Vancouver Canucks

The fans in Vancouver can sense that the run for this team is coming to an end and the team needs to do something spectacular soon before it is dismantled. A bodog review of the roster shows that this team cannot continue these salaries and stay under the cap. The team may have kept Luongo as a safety net in case Schneider does not play like a number one NHL goalie. Now that Vancouver is in a position where it may have to rely on Luongo again, the fans are having flashbacks and they are not good flashbacks.

The Bottom Line

The roll that the Kings is on is something that the Vancouver Canucks will not be able to stop. Vancouver has a lot of issues it has to solve before it can think about another deep playoff run, but this will not be the time to solve those issues.

Click here for more on the Los Angeles Kings’ defense of its Stanley Cup title.

Pick: Los Angeles Kings