Jonathan Quick clearly won the goalie matchup in Game 3, as the Los Angeles Kings avoided overtime for the first time in this series and moved just a step away from winning their second Stanley Cup title in three seasons. The Kings’ road offense–one of the keys we identified in our series preview–also clicked, and it has the Rangers on the brink of elimination.
Read our comprehensive preview of Game 4 below, and while you’re on it, create a betting accountto cash in on hockey’s biggest games of the year.
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New York Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup Finals, Game 4 Preview
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 – June 4, New York 2 at Los Angeles 3 (OT)
Game 2 – June 7, New York 4 at Los Angeles 5 (OT)
Game 3 – June 9, Los Angeles 3 at New York 0
Game 4 – June 11, 8:00 PM ET, Los Angeles (+115) at New York (-135); total 5.0 – view all NHL lines
Game 5 (if necessary) – June 13, 8:00 PM ET, New York at Los Angeles
Game 6 (if necessary) – June 16, 8:00 PM ET, Los Angeles at New York
Game 7 (if necessary) – June 18, 8:00 PM ET, New York at Los Angeles
Betting on the New York Rangers
It’s going to be tough for the New York Rangers to come back from a 3-0 series deficit, but it’s going to be much more difficult if their defense continues to fizzle. The Rangers hope to avoid a sweep at home on Wednesday, where they have won three of their last five games.
[sc:NHL240 ]The Rangers were clearly overmatched in every aspect in Game 3, despite outshooting the Kings 32-15. Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers’ best player, was embarrassed by the Kings. Lundqvist allowed three goals in just 15 shots faced. However, all hope isn’t lost for the Rangers yet. In these playoffs, Lundqvist has bounced back strong on multiple occasions after a letdown performance.
He was phenomenal in Game 7 of the first round against the Philadelphia Flyers after allowing five goals the game before. He led the Rangers to a comeback series win after going down 1-3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round. More recently, he shut down the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final following a 7-2 loss in Game 6. If anything, Lundqvist is due for a huge game against the Kings on Wednesday.
But of course, the Rangers need to score, too. New York made a concerted effort on offense in Game 3, but just could not find the back of the net. They even had six power play opportunities, but failed to convert on any of the attempts.
Betting on the Los Angeles Kings
Doc Emrick described the Kings’ win in Game 3 as a result of “maddening efficiency” on the part of Darryl Sutter’s team. He can’t be any closer from the truth, as Los Angeles pummeled the Rangers on both ends of the ice to win their third straight in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Kings played Game 3 like a team poised to claim the Cup in four straight. While they had to resort to dramatic plays to win the first two games, the Kings controlled the game from start to finish on Monday night. Jonathan Quick came away with his best game thus far in the series, blanking the Rangers by stopping all 32 of their shots.
By now, any talk about how fatigue could affect Los Angeles in the series should have died down simply because they haven’t showed any signs of it. The Kings will win Game 4 and the Stanley Cup if Quick is as dialed in as he was in Game 3, against a Rangers team that will come out firing on Wednesday. As a goalie who knows how to close out a series, there’s a good chance Quick will be up to the challenge in Game 4.
The Kings’ offense continues to hum, too. The three goals they scored upped their total to 47 road goals in 13 games (3.6 GF/G). The total has hit the over in four of the Kings’ last five road games.
Writer’s Prediction
Henrik Lundqvist carries his team with a shutout of the Kings.
