2014 Stanley Cup Finals Odds, Free Picks and Predictions: New York Rangers vs Los Angeles Kings Odds and Predictions

2014 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Odds, Free Picks and Predictions: New York Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings Odds and Predictions: When the playoffs began, the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings weren’t even supposed to make it out of the first round. Now, the fifth-seeded Rangers out of the Eastern Conference and sixth-seeded Kings out of the Western Conference are set to meet in the Stanley Cup Finals. While Los Angeles will be gunning for its second championship in three seasons, New York will be playing for its first title since 1994. The Kings tallied 100 points in the regular season compared to 96 by the Rangers, and as a result Los Angeles will have home-ice advantage when the series kicks off Wednesday.

New York’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals has been fueled heavily by the steady play of goalie Henrik Lundqvist. He has a solid 2.03 goals against average during the postseason to go along with a .928 save percentage. Meanwhile, the Rangers’ defense as a whole has been solid, a defenseman Ryan McDonagh has been playing at an elite level on both ends of the ice. Offensively, Martin St. Louis and Derek Stepan are tied for the team lead with 13 points, and they have been the most consistent options for an inconsistent offense. Rick Nash has been an X-factor for New York’s attack, but he has been very streaky during the postseason.

After allowing the fewest goals per game in the NHL during the regular season, the Kings have relied on their offense to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Los Angeles is averaging 3.5 goals per game during the postseason with centers Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter leading the way with 24 and 22 points, respectively. Meanwhile, Marian Gaborik has netted a playoff-high 12 goals, and defenseman Drew Doughty has been brilliant on both ends of the ice. Surprisingly, goalie Jonathan Quick has been shaky, allowing 2.86 goals per game. However, he has been at his best when the Kings have been facing elimination, and he is a big reason why they rallied from a 3-0 deficit to San Jose and a 3-2 deficit to Anaheim

The Rangers Win If:

If the Rangers are going to win this series, Lundqvist has to be the best player on the ice, and New York’s defense has to control the action. In particular, the Rangers need St. Louis, Stepan and Brad Richards to hold their own against Kopitar and Carter in order to disrupt Los Angeles’ two-best distributors. Meanwhile, New York has to limit the effectiveness of Doughty at least on the offensive end. The Kings currently have five players that have scored more points in the postseason than the Rangers’ top scorer so the chances of New York keeping pace in a higher-scoring series are slim. However, New York can certainly win a lower-scoring series given how well Lundqvist has been playing and how up and down Quick has been in net for the Kings.

The Kings Win If:

For the Kings to win the Stanley Cup, they need to force New York’s offense to have to carry its weight. Los Angeles has been lighting the lamp on a routine basis during the playoffs, and if the Kings continue to score 3-plus goals per game in this series, the Rangers are going to have to play a lot better offensively than they have so far to have a chance. Yes, Quick has been brilliant at times, but while he has been hot and cold, Lundqvist has been the steadiest goalie in the postseason. If the Kings makes sure New York’s offense, and not Lundqvist, has to beat them, they should win the series.

Bottom Line:

Both of these teams have the luxury of having goalies that can put their teams on their back and win a game, but there is no denying that the Kings are the more the proven team after navigating a brutal Western Conference and winning three Game 7s in order to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. More importantly, the Kings have taken their game to another level in the postseason, becoming consistently potent on the offense end of the ice while remaining a physical defensive team. The Rangers on the other hand have been up and down on the offensive end of the ice. Both goalies will have their moments, and lengthy series are pretty much the norm for both sides in this year’s playoffs. However, the Kings’ physical style of play and surging offense will make the difference.

Prediction: Los Angeles Kings Win in 7 Games

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