Los Angeles Kings 2024 Stanley Cup Odds
On December 7, 2023, the Los Angeles Kings had the look of a Stanley Cup championship team at 16-4-3. Little did anyone know it was the beginning of a catastrophic collapse. Los Angeles has drowned NHL bettors since that blistering start and has gone from first in the Pacific Division to fighting for their playoff lives. From December 28 through January 26, the Kings were 2-7-5. Of great concern for Kings fans and gamblers was a drop in goal scoring production. Also bothersome was fan favorite and long time stalwart defenseman Drew Doughty saying that too many players were selfish and more concerned about their stats than wins.
2024 Stanley Cup Betting Odds
Los Angeles Kings NHL Betting Lines
At the approach of the All-Star Break, the Los Angeles Kings are 22-14-9 straight up and 15-23-1 over/under the total. Also, Los Angeles is 1st in the Western Conference wild card playoff standings. Los Angeles is three points ahead of the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference wild card playoff race. Late on Los Angeles has covered two out of their last 12 games. While the Kings have gone under the total in three of its previous five matchups. Los Angeles has NHL rankings of 14th for goals scored and 15th for power play efficiency. In comparison, on defense, the Kings have NHL rankings of 3rd for goals against and 1st for penalty killing.
Despite their poor play and the reputation for needing a goaltender, Los Angeles has strong defensive metrics. The offensive production and power play need improvement, although the numbers are respectable. Thus, the Kings do have the metrics of a team with playoff potential.
Los Angeles Kings Key Players
C Anze Kopitar is a mainstay of the team. He started the season with 15 goals, 25 assists, 40 points, and a +6 in his first 45 games. Kopitar is one of the best two-way forwards in NHL history. Kopitar is a five-time All-Star. He eclipsed the career 400-goal mark this season.
Like Kopitar, D Drew Doughty was a key member of the Kings 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup championships. Doughty had 11 goals and 14 assists in his first 45 games of the season with a +9. Doughty is a five-time NHL All-Star and was the 2016 Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenseman.
Los Angeles Kings Goaltenders
Number one goaltender Cam Talbot had a .913 save percentage and 2.52 goals against average in his first 31 starts with two shutouts. Talbot was undrafted and began his career in 2013-14 with the New York Rangers. This is his first season with the Kings. In 2024, Talbot will make his second NHL All-Star Game appearance.
Season-by-Season Record (Last 5)
| SEASON |
GAMES |
WINS |
LOSSES |
FINISH |
PLAYOFFS |
| 2022–23 |
82 |
47 |
25 |
3rd, Pacific |
Lost in First Round, 2–4 (Oilers) |
| 2021–22 |
82 |
44 |
27 |
3rd, Pacific |
Lost in First Round, 3–4 (Oilers) |
| 2020–21 |
56 |
21 |
28 |
6th, West |
Did not qualify |
| 2019–20 |
70 |
29 |
35 |
7th, Pacific |
Did not qualify |
| 2018–19 |
82 |
31 |
42 |
8th, Pacific |
Did not qualify |
Los Angeles Kings History
Founded in the NHL “Great Expansion” of 1967 that doubled the league’s size from 6 to 12 teams, the Los Angeles Kings have had a rich history in both good times and bad. The early years were headlined by Real “Frenchy” Lemieux and Eddie “The Jet” Joyal. Original owner Jack Kent Cooke built the “Fabulous Forum” for his Kings. But mediocre hockey was the rule rather than the exception for most of the Kings' first 20 years of existence. Thus, the team was largely ignored. But everything changed with Wayne Gretzky’s arrival in 1988. The Great One made both the Kings and NHL mainstream. The Kings went from being ignored to the most popular team in LA. A new generation of Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014.
Gretzky is the biggest name to ever play the sport, let alone for the Kings. But others such as Luc Robitaille, Marcel Dionne, and Rogie Vachon are revered hockey names in Southern California and Kings lore.
The dream of a Stanley Cup seemed impossible for many longtime Kings fans. But Los Angeles built up its roster with several good drafts. By the time the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs began, the Kings were perhaps the best 8-seed team in history. And that was proven by how Los Angeles steamrolled through the postseason to win their first Stanley Cup.
LA overcame an 0-3 deficit against the San Jose Sharks two years later to win the series 4-3. That was the springboard to a second Stanley Cup title run.
The Kings have always played second fiddle to the Lakers in Los Angeles. But the hockey club has always had die-hard passionate loyalists the pack the arena for every game.
The end of the 2021-22 season marked the retirement of longtime King stalwart and former captain Dustin Brown. Brown was the captain of both of LA’s Stanley Cup championship teams. He goes down as one of the greatest Kings of all time.
NHL Teams
Eastern Conference - Atlantic
Eastern Conference - Metropolitan
Western Conference - Central
Western Conference - Pacific
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