Game 4 between the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings takes place tonight in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Rangers need to win in order to avoid elimination as the Stanley Cup Finals Start Time is set for 8:00 p.m. tonight and it will be televised nationally on NBC. The odds for the game have the Rangers as a big favorite at home.
New York has stumbled mightily in the 20-year anniversary to their last Stanley Cup Finals. The Rangers found a way to navigate through the playoffs and find themselves in the pinnacle of hockey, but Los Angeles has been the aggressor, the come-from-behind squad and the overall better team.
The Kings have been the best defensive hockey team all season, but they've fallen behind in games this series, only to bounce back and pick up wins. They trailed by a couple of goals in both the first and second games at home, but won both games in overtime. The third game of this series, the first played inside Madison Square Garden, saw the Kings dominate from the opening puck drop as they picked up a 3-0 win, clearly showing the Rangers and the rest of the hockey world who is the best team left in the finals.
New York has their backs against the proverbial wall tonight and anything less than a victory ends their season. They haven't been the best team inside their own arena all season and sport just a 6-5 record there during the playoffs. New York has found a way to get it done away from their own building these playoffs, including taking multiple-goal leads in the first two games at Staples Center in this series.
But all will be forgotten without some redemption tonight. There hasn't been a sweep in the Stanley Cup Finals since the Detroit Red Wings ousted the Washington Capitals in four games back in 1998. Jonathan Quick keeps stopping pucks that are headed his way and the Rangers haven't been able to find a way to beat him enough. The Rangers outshot Los Angeles 32-15 in Game 3 but couldn't find the back of the net.
The consistent pressure on Quick is the only way New York can get back into this thing. They have to continue to put pressure on the Kings defense and hope that Henrik Lundqvist can play just well enough to keep them in the game.
Tonight we like the Rangers to win this game at home. Backs against the wall, it's all about sports cliches at this point. But we don't think a sweep will happen.
Free Pick: Rangers 4, Kings 2
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