NHL New Jersey Devils Win Game 4
Judging by how the Los Angeles Kings have steamrollered their way through the 2011-12 NHL Playoffs, including forging a 3-0 lead against the New Jersey Devils in the NHL Finals, most betting fans expected a 4-0 clean sweep in last night's Game 4 in Los Angeles.
However, the Devils had other plans, and despite their 3-0 deficit and playing in front of the Kings' home crowd, the team from New Jersey dug deep to play tight, controlled hockey, to snag themselves a 3-1 victory. While fans of the Devils were going crazy back in New Jersey, Kings fans were upset that their team blew their shot at a clean sweep.
Los Angeles Kings Still Have a Two-Game Buffer
Still, the Los Angeles Kings have a two-game buffer, and although they'll travel to New Jersey for Game 5 on Saturday, you can bet they'll pull out all the stops to win the game and the coveted 2011-12 Stanley Cup. Of course, now that the Devils are on the scoreboard, their confidence will be sky high on Saturday.
While it may be the case that the New Jersey Devils have left it too late to make their mark in this season's NHL Finals, if last night's game proved anything, it's that they have the talent and the temperament to take on and beat the Kings. So it will be interesting to see if they can maintain that winning momentum on Saturday.
For our NHL betting buck, we see the Devils racking up their second straight win, because they have beaten the Kings on their own doorstep, so a victory in front of their home crowd should not be a bridge to far. That said, they'll be all too aware that the Kings have only lost three out of 18 games in the playoffs, and none of those in a row.
Devils Coach de Boer is Cautiously Optimistic
Cautiously optimistic about his team's chances is New Jersey Devils coach Peter de Boer, who said after last night's game, 'We know every time we can win a game and chip away, the end goal gets a little closer. I know it is a clich?but I think if we win on Saturday night this series really takes a turn.'
While de Boer may have been stating the obvious, if the Devils do manage to pull off another victory, Game 6 will be another nail-biter for NHL betting fans. And in terms of the NHL odds for Saturday's Game 5 in New Jersey, top-rated online sports betting site Bodog has the latest NHL Finals betting lines:
New Jersey Devils vs Los Angeles Kings Odds
New Jersey Devils - 31/20
Draw - 14/5
Los Angeles Kings - 8/5
