Problems in La-La Land - LA Kings NHL Odds

The second half of the season is among us and one of the biggest disappointments are the Los Angeles Kings. The 2011-12 and 2013-14 Stanley Cup winners are playing no where close to the level as expected. The defending champs are struggling to find their identity and are on the verge of missing the playoffs.

One of the biggest let down players on the Kings is goalie Jonathan Quick. He stands out because he is a guy who has bolstered the Kings for many seasons. His numbers are underwhelming in this 2014-15 season. Shouldering the tremendous pressure of being the key to the team’s success is difficult but he needs to step up and lead the team out of their slump.

Another issue that has shaken up the Kings is the recent departure of veteran Mike Richards. The bold move of putting him on waivers and sending him to the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Manchester, New Hampshire last week has the players shaken up. Last season’s playoff MVP, Justin Williams said, “he's part of the family here. There's certainly just a big, empty spot without him [that] I feel. But we'll march on and he'll march on, and time will take care of everything ... but I hope he's back with this team and helping us out like I know he can."

The team is going to have to get over not having Richards on the ice and turn around their recent losing ways. Losing eight of their last ten games, the Kings need to wake up and turn their level of play up a level. Their next game is on Tuesday night at the Washington Capitals. The NHL lines have the Kings at +115 and the Capitals as a -127 favorite. A win would go a long way at boosting the team's confidence because they have the third worst road record in the league with only five wins. They are in the midst of a five game road trip that started on Friday night when they lost to the Boston Bruins.

For the entire first half of the season people have been wondering if the Kings were just off to a slow start and at this point time is running out for them to even earn a Wild Card playoff spot in the Western Conference. Last week, the Kings had future NHL odds of +850 to win the Western Conference and +1800 to win the Stanley Cup. After their last loss to Boston, their odds slipped to +1000 and +2000 respectively.

Keep an eye on how the Kings do during their next four next four road games as an indicator if a turnaround is coming. There is still a lot of hockey left so if they are able to right their wrongs then they could have a shot to defend their championship.

* Betting lines mentioned in this article are subject to change due to time sensitivity. Please visit the sports betting lines for up to date odds.