The Kings won again on Monday and that loss brought my NHL Playoffs record down to (30-27) for +5.11 units.
New Jersey Devils @ Los Angeles Kings
The Devils once again could not solve Jonathan Quick on Monday night, losing 4-0, and falling into a huge and likely inescapable hole in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. With the win the Kings became the first team to ever lead every series 3-0 in Stanley Cup Playoffs history. Quite the feat for any team, let alone an 8th seed that had to play the top teams in the league every series. Now going into game 4 the question is will the Kings win the Stanley Cup on home ice or wait until game 5 when they can break the record for most road wins in a single playoffs and go to 11-0 on the road.
The Kings are 1-2 in game 4’s, while the Devils are 2-0 in elimination games this post season. There were times in game 3 when the Devils looked destined to score, but they could never really get the good opportunity and Quick stood on his head when they did. The first LA goal should not have counted and it would have perhaps been a different game if that mistake was not made or if NJ scored on their 5 on 3, but they really never even had top quality opportunities. That being said I still think that the Devils will find a way to solve Quick in game 4 and at least get 1 win on the board in these finals. They have the pressure needed, but they need to get in Quick’s face more and I think De Boer will have his players ready to grind out a win even if it means playing uncharacteristically chippy in front of the goaltender.
The fact is that the Devils have not really been outplayed in these finals like the other teams who have played the Kings in these playoffs. That’s not to say they have dominated either, but they have stayed with the Kings, but have failed to find the back of the net. If they keep with it I still think they have as good a shot as the Kings in this one so I like the Devils at these odds.
Play: Devils +168 (5Dimes.eu)
If the Kings do win the game and the Stanley Cup then the question becomes which player will win the Conn Smythe. It will almost certainly be Quick, but cases could also be made for Kopitar (leads playoffs in points and +/-), Dustin Brown (17 points, tied with Kopitar in +/- and really lead by example throwing his body around in these playoffs) and Doughty (leads d-men in scoring, +13 and really took the reins from the point in these playoffs). I couldn’t find any lines online for the Conn Smythe and this is likely because it is almost certainly going to Jonathan Quick after his shutout performance in game 3.
It will be an interesting game and hopefully there will be a game 5 in New Jersey.
Written by: Niko de Jonge
Tagged with: Los Angeles Kings betting • New Jersey Devils betting • Stanley Cup Finals betting