No team in NHL history has ever won the Stanley Cup after going seven games in each of its first two playoff series, but that will change here in 2014 as both the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers did so to get to this point.
Stanley Cup Finals Odds: betting favors Kings over Rangers in series, Game 1
History will be made in the Stanley Cup final as the Kings face the Rangers. Where is there money to be made on the NHL championship final series?
Bruce Bennett
The battle-tested teams meet in the Stanley Cup final for the first time with the Kings going off as a -170 favorite to win the series.
The Kings are a -155 favorite over the Rangers (+135) in Game 1 Wednesday night and were a 10-1 shot for a sweep, which some observers feel is a possibility.
The Los Angeles Kings have seemingly done it all to get to this point, becoming the first team in NHL history to win three Game 7s on the road to advance to the Stanley Cup final with wins against San Jose, Anaheim, and Chicago.
The Kings became just the fourth team in NHL history to erase an 0-3 series deficit, winning four straight to eliminate the San Jose Sharks in the first round. Los Angeles' overtime winner in Game 7 over Chicago brought the team to 7-0 in elimination games this postseason.
New York (+150 to win the series according to some NHL betting lines) has been equally resilient this postseason, knocking off the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 7 in the first round and then beating the Pittsburgh Penguins three straight times after falling down 1-3 in the first four games of that series.
The Rangers were able to earn some much-needed rest and avoid a third straight Game 7 by wrapping up their series with Montreal in six games. The Rangers are 4-1 in their last five games on the road.
Historically, these teams have been extremely evenly matched with a 9-9-2 record against each other in 20 meetings since 1997. The Rangers and Kings split their season series 1-1 this year with the road team winning each matchup. The UNDER, for those who prefer NHL wagering on totals, is 3-1-1 in the five games between these two teams since 2010.
These two teams are built very similarly, relying on defense and elite goaltending from Jonathan Quick and Henrik Lundqvist.
Both teams should be comfortable in a tight-checking series.
See More:
