LA Kings
Los Angeles Kings Leap Into Top 10 of Stanley Cup Odds
The Los Angeles Kings have made the leap into the Top 10 of Stanley Cup Odds.
Starting the season 6-2-2, there are a lot of reasons to believe in the Kings.
For one, their three-headed monster of centers has dominated on both ends of the ice.
Captain Anze Kopitar has led the way with his two-way prowess, notching 10 points in 10 games while locking up the opposing team’s top line.
Phillip Danault follows that up with a similar style of play with seven points in his first 10 games.
Pierre-Luc Dubois rounds out Los Angeles’ center trio with six points to start the season so far.
He has been a welcome addition since being acquired from the Winnipeg Jets this summer.
Wingers Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe have added an extra offensive punch with 12 and 11 points respectively.
Trevor Moore has also been a pleasant surprise with nine points in his first 10 games.
The amount of depth the Kings have at center have helped them roll three high-powered lines at all times and it has shown on the ice.
Defensemen Mikey Anderson (seven points) and Drew Doughty (six points) have also helped the Kings become one of the most potent offenses in the league.
Los Angeles is third in the NHL with 4.20 goals-for per game and has the second-most goals in the league overall at 42.
Keeping the puck out of the net is a bit of a different story.
The Kings sit dead in the middle of the league in goals-against per game in 16th at 3.10.
Their overall 31 goals allowed is tied for 14th with the New Jersey Devils.
36-year-old starting goalie Cam Talbot has held things down for the most part, going 5-2-1 with a .915 save percentage and a 2.41 goals-against average, but there are questions as to whether he can keep up those numbers after a rough season with the Ottawa Senators last year.
All of those factors have the Kings pinned at the 9th spot in online nhl betting Stanley Cup odds at +1800.
They sit ahead of the defending Eastern Conference Champion Florida Panthers (+2200) to round out the Top 10.
The Colorado Avalanche have the best odds at +750 following a hot start from their deep nucleus of stars consisting of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar.
The Carolina Hurricanes have the second-best odds at +950 even after a rough start for their usually sturdy defense.
The defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights are third at +10000 with the New Jersey Devils and the Dallas Stars rounding out the Top 5 at +11000.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are also in that pack of +11000 powered by a complement of star power of their own.
Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers, the unbeaten Boston Bruins and the deep and talented New York Rangers round out the group ahead of the Kings.
If Talbot can keep up his production and the offense keeps humming the way it has been, Los Angeles can continue to be one of these top tier teams in the running for the NHL’s biggest prize in the Stanley Cup.