Sports Bet OverviewThe betting on March Madness has yet to really get underway, but the sports betting bonus on which NHL teams will make the playoffs is in full swing. When the NHL season started, the Hockey Training Tips observers thought that the Los Angeles Kings would rule the league. The Kings got off to a very fast start that put them at the top of the Western Conference and battling for the top spot in the league. But, as the season wore on, the Kings came crashing down to Earth and found themselves looking up at the top eight teams in the Western Conference. The Kings have battled back and are now in the thick of the Western Conference playoff battle again, but they will have to keep winning to stay in the hunt.
The Detroit Red Wings are so happy with goaltender Jimmy Howard that the team signed Howard to a three-year contract extension in the middle of this season. In what is sure to be deemed a coincidence, Howard has gone 1-2-2 in his last 10 starts. The Red Wings will probably not catch the Vancouver Canucks for first place in the Western Conference as they trail the Canucks by seven points. But if the Red Wings are not careful, the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks could pass them and knock the Red Wings out of the top three in the Western Conference standings.
Los Angeles Kings
For many teams in the NHL, now is “do or die time.” The Kings are managing to put together some good streaks to maintain their hold on eighth place in the Western Conference. In the last 10 games the Kings are 6-3-1, and that has helped to put them back into the playoff race. But their last start was a critical Western Conference loss to the Canucks in Los Angeles. The Kings are getting some great goaltending from Jonathan Quick, but they will need to pick things up in the goal-scoring department if they want to be playing in the NHL post season.
Detroit Red Wings
For all of his recent flaws, Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard is having a very good season. His season record is 31-12-5 and his save percentage is .907. The knock against Howard is that he lets in easy goals at the most inopportune moments. But when a goalie has 31 wins on the season, it is hard to argue with his technique.
The Red Wings are the top scoring team in the league outscoring goal-producing machines such as the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks. It is the offense of the Red Wings that makes up for the goaltending, and even the Detroit defensemen get in on the goal-scoring act. This is not the best Detroit team we have seen in a while, but it is one of the most offensively consistent teams in the league.
The Bottom Line
The Kings have problems with teams that can score goals. Jonathan Quick keeps the Kings in games as he can, but until players like Anze Kopitar start putting the puck in the net, the Kings will have problems beating the better teams in the league.
Gambling Advisor blog Pick: Detroit Red Wings
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