Panthers against Kings is one of Thursday’s absolute treats. Two contenders will face off in an even matchup where the visitors have a realistic chance of ending Florida’s winning streak.
Eight in a row
Florida left no chance for the hosts at St. Louis on Tuesday. The game, which was also the tip of the day, ended with a landslide 5-1 victory for the Panthers. We got there with Florida but missed with our over 6.5. This time it was Matthew Tkachuk’s turn to emerge as the hero with a hat trick and an assist. Tkachuk also increased his points tally for the season to 39.
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After an eight-game winning streak, the Panthers return to Sunrise, where the team will stay for the next week and a half. Florida is playing well and has a genuine chance to fight for the Eastern Conference title and even the Presidents’ Trophy. Having said that, it’s good to remember that all streaks eventually come to an end. Today’s opponent is very capable of disturbing Florida’s dominance.
The dormant giant of the West
For the Los Angeles Kings, the year has changed in a completely different mood. Since the holiday break, the Kings have only won a single game. That was against the Sharks who are sitting dead last in the league. The Kings’ losing streak stretched to six games on Tuesday night as Tampa Bay rallied from behind to win in overtime.
One-goal losses have been commonplace for the Kings in recent weeks. Five of the last six losses have come by a one-goal difference, three of them after regular time. The downside of variance is making the Kings look worse than they actually are.
One of the spring’s potential Cinderella runs is brewing in the background. Like the Panthers, the Kings are a true xG monster, consistently scavenging more than 55 percent of expected goals. Sure, their top guns aren’t up to Florida’s level, but that’s not what this Kings team is about. Depth is their key to success. How many other teams could afford to play Pierre-Luc Dubois on third-center minutes?
Positive expected value on the visitors
This is one of Thursday’s biggest matches, and it’s always nice to get bets in for a top match. In addition, both teams are essentially healthy, which means we avoid lineup speculations. Sergei Bobrovsky should get the nod for the home side. The Kings are likely to go with Cam Talbot, who is playing the best season of his career at the ripe age of 36.
Florida is only slightly ahead of Los Angeles in terms of baseline. Therefore, the Kings have a realistic chance of snapping the Panthers’ winning streak. For bankroll growth, the best pick is to go for the away win in regulation with +200 available on Unibet. Unfortunately, the odds plummeted from the +220 that was still available during the writing of this tip. We do still get a one-unit investment with the +190 I have as the breakeven point.
Tip: Los Angeles Kings in regulation @ +200
Units: 1/10
The match will start on 1/11/2024 at 7:00 PM EST.
The odds are from the time of publication of the article and are subject to change.
Esa Kostet
X: @konekostet
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Register and Bet $25 on any match (min odds +100). Win or lose, you’ll get $100 in bonus bets!
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