It’s a tale of two teams with two different expectations in this contest. The Los Angeles Kings are hoping to enter the win column for the first time this season. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche are Stanley Cup favorites and cannot afford to lose against weaker opponents. With nothing to lose, can the Kings upset the Avalanche in monumental fashion?
The Los Angeles Kings have a handful of players that can overtake a game. Coming equipped with loads of experience, I think they could put up a fight against Colorado in this contest. With that being said, I think this contest will boil down to one deciding factor: team depth. While certain teams like Los Angeles have talented individual players, as a team they aren’t very strong. Anze Kopitar is a name that sticks out to me on offense, with Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick on the blackened that jumps out. Still, I think the Kings have a ton of prospects that are future stars in the NHL, but that is a season (or more) away. In the present day, the Avalanche are far superior to the Kings and are heavy favorites entering this contest. You can scroll up and down the Avalanche lineup to see game-changers. From Nathan MacKinnon to Cale Makar, Colorado comes into this contest well equipped to handle the lowly Kings. I have already spoken about each team’s depth. What truly intrigues me is that the Kings allow a ton of goals against per game. Los Angeles allows nearly 5 goals against per game. That must have the top line of Colorado licking their chops. Being on the road won’t affect Colorado. With no fans in the crowd, it will be business as usual for both teams. The Kings are still in search of their first win and they are facing a Colorado team that has been hot on both offense and defense. Unless something spectacular happens, I expect the Avs to roll against the Kings in this contest. I am feeling bold. Looking at the numbers, I don’t think Los Angeles’ defense can compete with Colorado’s offense. On the flip side, the Kings’ offense should struggle mightily against Colorado’s defense. All signs point to Colorado winning by a large margin.
Los Angeles are 1-7 SU in last 8 games played in January. The Kings allow 4 goals against per game. Colorado are 3-8 in their last 11 against Los Angeles. The Avalanche score 4.5 goals per game.
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