Betting Kings Avalanche – Impotent Kings Fail To Score Enough In Colorado

Los Angeles has been a huge sports betting disappointment this season as the Kings have had scoring issues all season, and it could knock them out of the playoff picture. One of the teams in pursuit of the Kings, Colorado, will take advantage of this on Wednesday against a tired Los Angeles team that will be in action on Tuesday.

What: NHL Betting
When: Wednesday, February 22nd, 9:00 PM ET
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
Pick: Colorado Avalanche

Why Bet On Los Angeles Kings (27-21-11, 65 points)

The Kings will be in the desert on Tuesday night to take on the Phoenix Coyotes, and they’ll be aiming to stop a two-game skid after a 1-0 loss at home to Calgary on Saturday. In an eight-game stretch where the Kings have dropped six of eight, they were blanked or managed just one goal in all six of those losses (three were shutouts). That has been a running theme for the Kings, who are 30th in the league in goals scored and it is a shame for goalie Jonathan Quick, who has 26 losses on the season, and 18 have been by a single goal. Anze Kopitar is doing everything he can to spark the offense, but Dustin Penner continues to epitomize “bust” after his big-money deal, while Mike Richards has been underwhelming, to say the least. If it wasn’t for Quick, the Kings wouldn’t be near a playoff spot, but as of Monday, they were just outside of the playoffs as they were tied with eighth-place Calgary, who owns the tiebreaker.

Jarrett Stoll (hip) has been out since February 9th and is close to returning, but Stoll won’t jumpstart their offense. The Kings may try to improve their position, as well as their NHL betting odds, via a trade. The deadline is just around the corner and rumor is, defenseman Jack Johnson is on the block, and the 25-year-old has never really fulfilled his potential as the third pick in the 2005 draft. The Kings may shop around and see if they can find some offense, because they’re not going to get to the postseason this way.

Why Bet On Colorado Avalanche (29-27-4, 62 points)

The Avalanche have dropped three of their last four after they were handled 5-1 in Winnipeg on Sunday, and all four games have been with Simeon Varlamov in goal with Jean-Sebastien Giguere heals. Varlamov stopped 20 of 25 shots against the Jets and he has now given up 10 goals over the four-game stretch. Gabriel Landeskog notched a power-play marker for the Avalanche, who are eighth in the league with the man advantage, but that was the lone bright point for Colorado, who are three points behind the Kings and are still in the running. The Avalanche are 25th in the league in goals scored and 20th in goals allowed; they probably shouldn’t even be in the running for a postseason spot, but like the Kings, have to get a few more goals, especially since they stop as many as Los Angeles.

However, they could end up getting a boost as Matt Duchene (knee) returned to the lineup against the Jets after seven weeks on the sidelines, and he looked rusty as he couldn’t manage a shot on goal in 18:06 of ice time. If Duchene can find his legs quickly, he can inject the offense with some life for the Avalanche. Giguere (groin) skated with the team on Sunday, and he is questionable to start against the Kings, so be sure to check on his status ahead of gametime. With the Kings travelling from Phoenix to the high altitude of Denver, the Avalanche have a great chance to jump on the Kings early.

How It Will Play Out

Colorado is likely to be home favorites in this NHL betting contest, although it won’t be by much, and the Kings have won three of their last five in Denver. However, the Avalanche have had the Kings’ number this season, winning all three meetings and holding the Kings to four goals in those three games; the Avalanche have scored eight in those games, but they were more than enough.

The Avalanche will run it to a perfect 4-0 against the Kings, who have the talent to be one of the best offensive teams in the league, but it hasn’t come together and hasn’t been a lot to encourage fans and betting players that will change anytime soon. Combine that with travelling, and the Kings will again struggle to light the lamp on Wednesday, so take Colorado at home in your online betting picks.