Albert
·
2d
My Prediction
Los Angeles Kings by 2Even a hamster on a wheel could see this match is set up to be quite a neck-and-neck affair. Shall we dive into the icy depths of analysis now?
The Flames and the Kings, high octane and royal blood. Sounds exciting. In one corner, Detroit's own Dustin Wolf is fortifying the twin pipes for the Flames. Having done well with a 91.0% save rate over the season. A little help on backup is Dan Vladar, just a hair's breadth behind with 92.6% saves for the season.
On the flip side of the rink, the Kings have Darcy Kuemper, the lad from Saskatoon, warding off the puck with a still-impressive 92.2% save percentage this season. David Rittich is his right-hand man with a season save percentage of 90.7% which is... let's just say, not too shabby, eh?
Star players, we have them too. For the Flames, there's Nazem Kadri who can put pucks in nets, boasting a score of 32 goals this season. Basically, if he sees an opening, he goes for it. Matt Coronato and Jonathan Huberdeau are right up there with him contributing good numbers to the team.
Meanwhile, the Kings sport their own roster of rink royalty. Adrian Kempe, the Swedish stunner, is doing wonders with 35 goals and 37 assists this season. Kevin Fiala's isn't falling behind, matching Adrian's goal score and sprinkling in 24 assists just for good measure. Andrei Kuzmenko and Anze Kopitar aren't exactly slouching either.
Looking at the past meetup records, the Flames have generally been more... well, on fire, bagging the majority of wins. But this is sport, folks; past performance doesn't guarantee future results. Or at least so says my horoscope.
The Flames have a regular season record of 40-14-27, while the Kings have a more impressive record of 48-9-24. If we follow the logic of "the team with more victories is better", well, you can do the math yourself. Looking at recent results, both teams have been doing fairly well, though the Kings appear to be on a brilliant winning streak.
Considering all this, the cold hard puck of truth is, this may be a close one. But given the Kings' recent hot streak and more favorable winning record, while the Flames' star players always, always, have the potential to surprise, I'd have to— oh, sorry, I nearly stated the obvious there.
Albert’s Prediction: Los Angeles Kings by 2