Los Angeles Kings vs. Anaheim Ducks – Live Stream, Tips and Stanley Cup Game 6 Preview

The Anaheim Ducks will look to complete the comeback in game six tonight as they seek to close out the Los Angeles Kings.

The game takes place at the Staples Center and is scheduled to start at 02:30 BST.

The game is streaming live online with bet365.

Preview: (Ducks currently lead the series 3-2):

LAST GAME – Anaheim 4 Los Angeles 3 DUCKS EXPECTED LINES:  Smith Pelly – Getzlaf – Perry / Maroon – Perreault – Selanne / Cogliano – Koivu – Silfverberg / Palmieri – Bonino – Winnik EXPECTED PAIRINGS:  Beauchemin – Lindholm / Allen – Vatanen / Fowler – Lovejoy EXPECTED GOALTENDER:  Gibson Things didn’t look too good for Anaheim at the onset of this series; two consecutive home losses to the Kings had them on the brink of a near-unsalvageable series deficit, heading into game three. Fast forward three games, and a remarkable turnaround has Anaheim on the brink of their first Conference Final appearance in eight years, a they head back to Staples Center for game six. A few subtle adjustments made by head coach Bruce Boudreau prior to game four, including the moving of Devanta Smith-Pelly onto the first line, and the re-insertion of energy winger Kyle Palmieri and Dan Winnik into the lineup, have been catalysts in the Ducks resurgence; but no one has meant more to their success than John Gibson. The 20-year old rookie is 2-0 with a sparkling 1.50 goals against average and .957 save percentage in his two starts, including Saturday’s shutout and Monday’s 39 save stunner. For a team who had alternated between two different goalies throughout the first 9 games of their playoff runs, the stability and confidence Gibson has shown has given the Ducks all the backbone they need to turn this series around.  The Ducks will also hope for continued production from their new-look first line, led by captain Ryan Getzlaf (currently on a 5-game point streak). Smith Pelly seemed an excellent fit with Getzlaf and Corey Perry on Monday night, notching two goals and clearing space for the stars with his significant frame. The move also allowed Bruce Boudreau to utilize center Nick Bonino in a more natural spot, as he had been laboring (without success) at the first line winger spot, for the better part of the lats 5 games. KINGS EXPECTED LINES:  Gaborik – Kopitar – Williams / Pearson – Richards – Carter / King – Stoll – Brown / Nolan – Lewis – Toffoli EXPECTED PAIRINGS:  Muzzin – Doughty / Schultz – Voynov / Martinez – Greene EXPECTED GOALTENDER:  Quick The Los Angeles Kings face an elimination game for the fifth time these playoffs, but do so this time on the back of what has been a tough series collapse. A 2-0 series lead built up through strong performances in Anaheim seems a distant memory now, and it is up to the Kings to show their steel yet again, and come through in game six to force a seventh and deciding game on Friday. The biggest different for Los Angeles in their three losses has obviously been the play of goaltender Jonathan Quick, who is the player most critical to the Kings sustained success. It’s remarkable to consider the difference in stat line for Quick in wins and losses: in the six games the Kings have won, Quick has a ridiculous .961 save percentage, and has allowed just 8 goals, while in the team’s 7 losses, he has allowed 25 goals, and his save percentage is a substandard .848. It’s clear that, for the kings to come back in this series, they will need Quick the former, and not the goalie who has been Jekyll and Hyde through two rounds. Another big reason it would be such a shock to see the Kings eliminated from the playoffs this early, is the fact that they possess both the playoff-leading goalscorer (Marian Gaborik, 8), and the playoff-leading point scorer (Anze Kopitar, 16) in the league. The duo has definitely been dynamic for the Kings in the first two rounds, and have done their part to ignite an offense that was one of the worst in the league in the regular season. It’s now up to the depth scorers, including center Mike Richards (1 goal, 3 points in 12 games), winger Justin Williams (0 goals, 2 points in second round) and center Jeff Carter (1 goal, 3 points in second round) to give the team the secondary scoring it needs to pull even with Anaheim on Wednesday. BOTTOM LINE:  The Kings aren’t the kind of team that are going to wilt under the pressure of an elimination game on Wednesday night; after all, they faced four consecutive ones against the Sharks in round two, and managed to claw their way back to make history. To be successful, they’ll need Quick to be better, and to get secondary scoring behind Gaborik and Kopitar. Pretty simple. But maybe it’s not all about how the Kings play? After all, the Ducks are the higher seed for a reason, and have been dominant in their three straight victories. It hasn’t all been Gibson, either; they have played a more up-tempo, pressure offensive game, and can bring the same intensity to bear at the Staples Center on Wednesday night. And, if anything, you’d have to imagine that the Kings will have to be tired of elimination scenarios; a cat only have so many lives. Pick: Anaheim.