Will the Kings reign or Rangers revive?

Will the Kings reign or Rangers revive?

By Mirio Mella Jun 4, 2014

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With the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals about to start, we consider whether the LA Kings can repeat their 2012 success, or if it’s time for the NY Rangers to drop their under-performing tag, and lift the trophy for the first time since 1994.

The importance of recent success

Pressure is common to all Finals irrespective of the sport, but there is a consensus that experience – knowing what to expect and how to react – confers an advantage.

Given that the Rangers have reached their 1st SCF since 1994 they will obviously be lacking experience in these particular finals. However, they do still have players that have played in, and won, the Stanley Cup (Martin St Louis in 2004), or in the case of Henrik Lundqvist – Olympic Gold with Sweden in 2006.

While the Rangers have been underperforming since the mid-1990s, the Kings have been one of the strongest teams in the NHL over the last few years. In 2012 they claimed their first Stanley Cup, and the following year they lost in the Conference Finals to the Blackhawks. However, the Kings have gained revenge for that loss in the 2014 season as they compete for their 2nd Stanley Cup trophy in just three years.

Odds reflect form

The odds to win the Stanley Cup at Pinnacle Sports reflect the recent fortunes of the finalists with the Kings opening as 1.63 (-160) series favourites with the Rangers 2.44 underdogs. The market certainly felt LA were worthy favourites, with the line moving up to 1.59 (-170) before returning to, and holding steady at its original peg.

The odds may also reflect the fact that LA has home ice advantage with game 1 of the series being played at the Staples Center.  The game 1 Money Lines (Overtime included) almost perfectly reflects the Series price – Kings 1.64 vs Rangers 2.44.

If you want to pick holes in the argument for a Kings victory, you could easily highlight the fact that they have had to win three consecutive Series deciders on the road, something that’s never been done before. The question that arises is whether they will they run out of steam in the Finals?

Conversely, the layoff that the Rangers have enjoyed, since wrapping up their Conference win over Montreal within six games, has given them additional time to recover and prepare. Some may argue that it could equally take the edge off them and their key players like Lundqvist.

Season head-to-heads

These teams played each other twice in the regular season, providing some potential insight into the how the finals might go. The Rangers won their 2nd game of the season 3-1 at the Staples Center and then on November 17th LA gained revenge winning 1-0 at Madison Square Garden. On that basis, could we see get the typical low scoring playoff style hockey that has been atypical of this season’s Playoffs?

Total Goals – Over or Under

When LA won the Cup in 2012 against the Devils, the first five games of the series had four goals or less, before a blowout in game six. What has been noticeable about the 2014 Playoffs is the lack of games landing under five goals. The total for game 1 of the Series opened at 1.87 under 5 goals, and surprisingly moved north to 1.90, before a more expected shift to 1.83, then a return to 1.87 where it remains at the time of writing.

Available markets

Whichever way you think the 2014 Stanley Cup Series will go, we have a full range of markets with unbeatable margins and high limits, so make sure you bet with Pinnacle Sports and the best odds available online.

Series props

Game props

Regulation time game odds

Alternate regulation time

Over Time Included

Intermission betting

1st Period

Series Exact result

Click here for the latest Stanley Cup Finals odds.

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