Kings try to bounce back against Blue Jackets

Hockey Betting Lines

03/08/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings will try to avoid a three-game losing streak when they host the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at Staples Center.

The Kings won their first game following the Olympic break, pounding Dallas, 5-1, on Tuesday. Since then, however, LA has dropped consecutive 4-2 decisions to Nashville and Montreal.

After losing a road test to the Predators on Thursday, the Kings were dealt a setback Saturday at home by the Habs. Brian Gionta and Benoit Pouliot each had a goal and an assist in Montreal's 4-2 win.

Anze Kopitar and Fredrik Modin had the goals for Los Angeles, while Jonathan Quick made 21 saves in defeat -- just the Kings' third regulation loss in the last 15 games.

"This was a pretty good effort, we just unfortunately gave the puck away at the wrong time," Kings coach Terry Murray said.

The Kings have 80 points and are tied with Colorado for the fifth seed in the Western Conference. LA hasn't made the postseason since the spring of 2002.

LA is 18-10-3 as the host this year, but has lost two of its last three home games.

Meanwhile, Columbus is second from the bottom in the Western Conference and has lost four straight, including two losses since the Olympic break.

The Blue Jackets were dealt an overtime loss Tuesday by visiting Vancouver and then lost a close regulation decision Saturday in San Jose. The Western Conference-leading Sharks posted a 2-1 win after scoring twice in the third period.

Andrew Murray scored the lone goal while Steve Mason made 42 stops for the Blue Jackets.

"They're a first-place team. They're there for a reason and they showed it tonight," Mason said. "Going into the third period we had the lead. They never give up and it showed."

Columbus has lost six of its last eight on the road and is just 10-19-4 as the guest this year. The Jackets will cap a three-game road trip Tuesday in Anaheim.

The Kings have taken two of three from Columbus this year and tonight's test marks the final meeting between the clubs this season. LA has won five of seven overall in the series and the Blue Jackets have dropped two of three at Staples Center.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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