The Kings aren’t making it easy for Tonge’s Ticket to outpace their point percentage. On Monday, their .500 point percentage sees the team holding onto the fourth and final playoff spot in the West. After hitting on two bets last game, Tonge’s Ticket is 15/33 on the season, good for a .455 percentage.
Monday’s opponent, the St. Louis Blues, are atop the West, though their point percentage would place them in third, behind Vegas and Colorado. After facing the Arizona Coyotes in seven straight contests, the Blues split their next two against the San Jose Sharks. The team will likely be without two key players as they take on the Kings, as Jaden Schwartz and Colton Parayko are expect to be out of the lineup. Here are the Blues’ projected lines, courtesy of Jeremy Rutherford.
Entering Monday, the Kings are red hot and are on a four game winning streak. For all the talk of the Kings rebuild and the debate around playing the kids, there’s a trio of familiar faces leading the team in scoring. Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Dustin Brown are all in the top 60 for scoring league wide. Right behind them are Alex Iafallo, Adrian Kempe, and Jeff Carter, who all have double-digit point totals on the year.
Why is it significant that the vets are scoring? It takes pressure off the kids, and the players who are meant to be leading are doing as expected. Face it, no one expected Brown to lead the team in goals in 2021, yet here we are. If the aforementioned names can continue to produce and Todd McLellan can find the right complimentary pieces, the Kings can go on a run and return to the playoffs this year. That’s not what many expected after starting the year 3-6-3.
Let’s take a look at the best bets between the Kings and Blues for Monday night:
Over 5.5 goals
Think back a few years ago and this tweet would almost be laughable. Both teams were built on being big, strong, defense-first clubs. Now, both teams are leading the division in scoring while also giving up a good amount of goals. St. Louis will be without one of their better defenseman in Parayko, while the Kings will see Sean Walker return. Three of the last five games have hit on the over. LA’s four game win streak has seen them score at least four goals on three occasions. Both meetings this season have hit on the over. This isn’t 2015 anymore, so take the over, especially with +108 odds.
LA Kings to score first
We’ve analyzed period-by-period scoring several times here. While LA’s first period scoring differential is still negative, their improved play in the first is a key factor to their recent success. The Kings have scored first in four straight, while the Blues started the scoring in both previous match ups. If you believe the Kings stay hot, the opening frame will likely be crucial to picking up another two points. With +123 odds, take the visitors to strike first.
Drew Doughty to record over 1.5 shots on net
In the beginning of this article, we talked about the Kings veterans leading the way. His 15 points put Doughty sixth in league-wide scoring for defenseman. During his last three games, he’s registered at least two shots on goal, and in the first two versus the Blues, he fired three on target. He’s also on a five game point streak, so a bet that it continues isn’t a bad idea either. Here, we’re going to bet that he stays engaged, even at -162 odds.
Looking for more betting picks? Make sure you follow @HockeysBestBets for my daily picks from around the league. You can also follow my personal account at @AndyTonge1 for my insight on the Kings and much more. Good luck and happy betting!