PREMIUM
GAME OF THE WEEK (Rogers' 10* NHL) >> 19-9 L28 NHL!
(NHL) Los Angeles vs. Vegas,
Total: 5.00 | 107.00 Under
Result: Loss
Total: 5.00 | 107.00 Under
Result: Loss
The set-up: The Vegas Golden Knights set one record after another in its inaugural season and then in the team's first ever Stanley Cup playoff game, edged the LA Kings 1-0. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury 'pitched' a 30-save shutout, making Shea Theodore's first priod goal stand up. The teams are set for Game 2 tonight inb Las Vegas and the Kings will look to avoid falling into an '0-2 hole' but will be without one of their elite players. LA's top defenseman, Drew Doughty, was suspended one game by the NHL on Thursday for an illegal hit to the head of Vegas forward William Carrier. "I mean, he's the best defenseman in the League," Kings forward Dustin Brown said after learning of Doughty's punishment. "So it's a huge hole."
Los Angeles: The suspension of 2016 Norris Trophy winner Doughty is a massive blow for Los Angeles, robbing the team of a player who established career highs this season with 50 assists and 60 points and who routinely plays huge minutes (28:02 in Game 1). Complicating matters for the Kings is the absence of fellow blue-liner Jake Muzzin, who has been sidelined since March 26 and skated Thursday wearing a non-contact jersey. Captain Anze Kopitar is among the front-runners for the Hart Trophy, rebounding from a dismal 52-point campaign in 2016-17 to amass a career-best 92 points (35 goals / 57 assists), 31 more than second-leading scorer Dustin Brown (28 goals / 31 assists). A difference-maker for the Kings could be veteran forward Jeff Carter, who missed more than four months with a lacerated tendon but scored 13 goals in the final 20 games, including in each of the last two matchups versus Vegas (both LA wins). Jonathan Quick had a career-high 28 losses (33-28-3, 2.40 GAA), but the former Conn Smythe Trophy winner posted a .921 save percentage and five shutouts in backboning a defense that surrendered the fewest goals (203 or 2.46 per) in the league, helped by the league's best penalty-kill unit (85.0%). However, the Kings can't win if they don't score.
Vegas: The one player on the roster with ample playoff experience for Vegas is Fleury and he stood tall in the series opener to register his 11th career postseason shutout. "He was great," said defenseman Shea Theodore, who netted the only goal. Theodore had two goals and eight points in 14 playoff games with Anaheim last season Forward Reilly Smith was sidelined for 15 games before returning for the regular-season finale and joins 43-goal scorer William Karlsson (78 points) and 27-goal scorer Jonathan Marchessault (75 points) on a top line that combined for 13 points in the four matchups against Los Angeles. Center David Perron (66 points, including a team-high 50 assists in 70 games) sat out the final six games but practiced both Monday and Tuesday. However, he did not play in Game 1. His status remains unclear for Game 2.
The pick: I don't see another 1-0 game here and in fact, expect a high-scoring one. Fleury was great in Game 1 but note he was pulled from the team's last regular season game, after stopping just 12 of the 18 shots he faced. Vegas' strength this season has been its ability to put the puck in the net, averaging 3.27 GPG (5th-best in the NHL). That average jumps to 3.56 GPG here at T-Mobile Arena. Expect the Kings to play much better and for Vegas' top players (scorers) to 'join the fight.' Make teh Over a 10* play.
Los Angeles: The suspension of 2016 Norris Trophy winner Doughty is a massive blow for Los Angeles, robbing the team of a player who established career highs this season with 50 assists and 60 points and who routinely plays huge minutes (28:02 in Game 1). Complicating matters for the Kings is the absence of fellow blue-liner Jake Muzzin, who has been sidelined since March 26 and skated Thursday wearing a non-contact jersey. Captain Anze Kopitar is among the front-runners for the Hart Trophy, rebounding from a dismal 52-point campaign in 2016-17 to amass a career-best 92 points (35 goals / 57 assists), 31 more than second-leading scorer Dustin Brown (28 goals / 31 assists). A difference-maker for the Kings could be veteran forward Jeff Carter, who missed more than four months with a lacerated tendon but scored 13 goals in the final 20 games, including in each of the last two matchups versus Vegas (both LA wins). Jonathan Quick had a career-high 28 losses (33-28-3, 2.40 GAA), but the former Conn Smythe Trophy winner posted a .921 save percentage and five shutouts in backboning a defense that surrendered the fewest goals (203 or 2.46 per) in the league, helped by the league's best penalty-kill unit (85.0%). However, the Kings can't win if they don't score.
Vegas: The one player on the roster with ample playoff experience for Vegas is Fleury and he stood tall in the series opener to register his 11th career postseason shutout. "He was great," said defenseman Shea Theodore, who netted the only goal. Theodore had two goals and eight points in 14 playoff games with Anaheim last season Forward Reilly Smith was sidelined for 15 games before returning for the regular-season finale and joins 43-goal scorer William Karlsson (78 points) and 27-goal scorer Jonathan Marchessault (75 points) on a top line that combined for 13 points in the four matchups against Los Angeles. Center David Perron (66 points, including a team-high 50 assists in 70 games) sat out the final six games but practiced both Monday and Tuesday. However, he did not play in Game 1. His status remains unclear for Game 2.
The pick: I don't see another 1-0 game here and in fact, expect a high-scoring one. Fleury was great in Game 1 but note he was pulled from the team's last regular season game, after stopping just 12 of the 18 shots he faced. Vegas' strength this season has been its ability to put the puck in the net, averaging 3.27 GPG (5th-best in the NHL). That average jumps to 3.56 GPG here at T-Mobile Arena. Expect the Kings to play much better and for Vegas' top players (scorers) to 'join the fight.' Make teh Over a 10* play.
