OK, offshore sportsbook lovers, it’s time to play…PANIC/DON’T PANIC!

It’s easy to have knee-jerk reactions to certain teams or players’ slow starts just a few weeks into the season. I’m here to sort through them for you.

PANIC: Detroit is banged up and starting slowly

Do I think Detroit will miss the playoffs? Of course not. Do I think the Wings will take a step back and possibly even lose home ice in the first round? You bet. After Johan Franzen’s serious knee injury, the Wings are now missing four of their top six goal scorers from last season. Gulp.

DON’T PANIC: Buffalo is the no-scoring zone

Aside from their outburst against Detroit, the Sabres have struggled to find the net early in 2009-10 and that’s ironic, because scoring should be one of the only things they do well this season. They still have plenty of speedy, soft-handed forwards, so the goals will come. So will the losses (Craig Rivet is their top defenseman).

PANIC: The Toronto Maple Laughs

The Leafs aren’t nearly as bad as their record suggests, but they’re in a hole already. I envisioned them as a fringe team, on the cusp of finishing eighth or ninth in the East, but a start this slow could put them too far back in the pack to contend already.

DON’T PANIC: Bruins aren’t so big and bad

Boston has stumbled out of the gate and people are turning on their NHL betting odds already. Relax, everyone! Boston opened with five straight home games, which could be a curse instead of a blessing. Road trips, especially early in the season, give players crucial bonding time. Expect the Bruins to rally now that they’re hitting the road.

PANIC: Caps getting scored on as much as they score

As flashy Washington’s offense is, the Caps have lost four of their first six games. Ovechkin, Semin and company will keep the Caps’ Stanley Cup odds afloat but Washington seriously lacks blueline depth and neither Jose Theodore nor Simeon Varlamov looks like a clear-cut No. 1 goalie right now. Unless the Caps acquire some help, they’ll stay stuck in neutral. I’m betting management considers making a move soon.

If you bet horses, you probably never expected that the name Rachel Alexandra would matter this season. If you bet hockey, you probably haven’t noticed the Los Angeles Kings for over a decade. Sure, they had those brief blips of success with Ziggy Palffy, Matthieu Schneider and Jason Allison, but let’s face — the Kings haven’t been relevant since Wayne Gretzky centered Luc Robitaille and Tomas Sandstrom.

That’s about to change. I may be off by one year, tops - but the Kings are about to ascend back into the playoffs. They pulled a Chicago/Pittsburgh/St. Louis and stockpiled great prospects when no one was looking. Suddenly, their top six forwards turn online sports betting fans’ heads. Check it, yo:

Anze Kopitar

Alexander Frolov

Ryan Smyth

Dustin Brown

Justin Williams

Michael Handzus

Plus Jarret Stoll, Oscar Moller and Wayne Simmonds are in the mix. Then there’s first-rounder Brayden Schenn on the way. Not bad at all.

Defensively, the Kings have the league’s next great rushing defenseman in Drew Doughty, plus Jack Johnson, who still has plenty of potential. Blue chipper Thomas Hickey is on the way, though I’m betting management brings him along slowly.

Goaltending — featuring Jonathan Quick and Erik Ersberg — could be a temporary hindrance. Eventually, though, Jonathan Bernier, a Canadian World Junior champion, will get his shot to start.

Is that not a blue print for a playoff team? Can that not match what St. Louis or Columbus iced last year?

Don’t forget about the Kings when you make your hockey picks this year.