In the post expansion era of the NHL, only three sports betting franchises in 167 attempts have come back, after losing the first three games of a series. On Sunday afternoon, the lowly Phoenix Coyotes, a team currently without an owner, made a case to be the fourth team to comeback, as they won the fourth game of the Western Conference Finals against the LA Kings. Despite being a higher seed, the Coyotes are a heavy underdog, to the all star stacked Kings. Today we wonder if yesterday’s betting online comeback was a one off, or are the Coyotes destined to keep their playoff dreams alive? On paper, everything appeared to be going to plan, as although being the eighth seed in the Western Conference, the Kings are a much better team then the Coyotes. The Kings roster is made up of forwards Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Dustin Penner, and is anchored by goalie Jonathan Quick. Conversely, the Coyotes are made up of a plethora of other team’s spare parts, including stand out goalie Mike Smith. In theory, Smith, who was signed to a one-year deal, was supposed to be a project piece, after injuries had derailed what was once a promising bookie software career. Present day, Smith appears to have put his injury riddled past behind him, as he has literally carried the Coyotes to the Western Conference Finals. One of the most interesting aspects of this current Kings v Coyotes series, is that all four games have been relatively close, only won by a goal or two. However, for the first three games at least, it appeared as though the overall talent we listed above for the Kings was too daunting a 5Dimes task for the listless Coyotes to overcome. It also seemed as though the Coyotes Captain Shane Doan was satisfied by the team making the Western Conference Finals, as entering last night’s game, you would have thought he was invisible. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and it was Doan himself, who finally showed up and scored both goals in the Coyotes victory yesterday afternoon, to keep their playoff hopes alive. As we mentioned earlier, only three teams that have ever been down three games have come back in 167 attempts. With that in mind, it is easy to chalk up the Coyotes victory as a fluke yesterday, and expect the Kings to bounce back in game five. After all, the Kings have played much better on the road then at home this playoff, as the team has seven road wins compared to four home wins and two losses on home ice. For this reason, the Kings should bounce back on Tuesday night in Phoenix, as they look to advance to their second NHL Stanley Cup Final in team history. But, if there is one thing we have learned throughout this season, it is to not count the Phoenix Coyotes out. If we did, we would have had them out in the first round against the Chicago Blackhawks. Or at the very latest, the second round against the Nashville Predators. Instead, here we are in the third round, with Phoenix playing under pressure, but appearing calmer then at any other point in the season. In our opinion, the victory last night in Los Angeles should be what the Coyotes needed to wake up, and finally compete against the daunting Kings.
