Online Wagering Overview
The Los Angeles Kings should have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. The addition of Mike Richards to the Kings should have helped to create an offensive powerhouse that would rule the Pacific Division all season long. While Richards is on pace to score 35 goals this season and Kings’ sniper Anze Kopitar is on his way to another scoring bonanza, the rest of the Kings just cannot seem to follow suit. The Kings have 49 goals this season and Kopitar and Richards account for 17 of them. The Kings are getting consistent goaltending out of Jonathan Quick. But ifLos Angeleswants to make a run at a playoff spot, it is going to need to start scoring goals.
There was a point in time where the price per head bookmaking experts had the Dallas Stars rated as one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Considering how horrible the Stars were last season, the fans inDallas would be happy just to see the team compete for a playoff spot this year. As was the case last season, the Stars are having problems getting consistent goaltending this year. Kari Lehtonen has definitely improved in the nets forDallas this season and leads the league in wins. But he is also2-3-0 in his last five starts, which shows the inconsistency that can sometimes plague the Dallas Stars.
Los Angeles Kings
The price per head fans in Los Angeles have watched the Kings start off strong and then fall by the wayside for years now. Los Angeles was a top Western Conference team when the season started, but a series of losses has dropped the Kings to fourth place in the Pacific Division. It is still early in the season, but the Kings have yet to show the ability to push forward and win big games. A betonline.com review of the Kings’ scoring punch shows very few of the forwards are contributing to theLos Angeles scoring efforts. Young defenseman like Jack Johnson are doing their part to pick up the slack, but the 4-1 loss to Detroit earlier in the week shows how the Kings are losing games and gives an idea of what the kings have to change to start winning.
Dallas Stars
NHL fans inDallas can take heart in knowing that they have a good team this season. The Stars are showing some power on offense but have been slipping on defense as of late. But Kari Lehtonen has been there to bail the defense out on several occasions. The problem with Lehtonen is that he cannot carry the team by himself. He is good in stretches, but then he starts to slip. The Stars’ forwards need to learn to come back on defense and get the puck out of their end more often. IfDallas can learn to put in a total team effort, then this could be a very potent group.
The Bottom Line
The Kings are still struggling to find an identity on offense. It is the defensive play ofLos Angeles, including its goaltending, that carries it from year to year. The Dallas Stars are looking to improve on last season’s results, and should have enough fire power to take downLos Angelesin this game.
Pick: Dallas Stars
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