The Kings completed their cinderella run in convincing fashion when they defeated the Devils 6-1 in six games.
Los Angeles had the game in control when they scored three goals on Steve Bernier’s game misconduct hit on Rob Scuderi. Those three power play goals fueled the Kings to go on an offensive rampage which led to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The story of how the Kings pulled this Stanley Cup victory off is incredible. » Read more..
The Los Angeles Kings have taken a commanding 3-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Finals this season. With their 4-0 win on Monday night over the New Jersey Devils. The Kings seem to have full control of this series and seem poised to end this series tonight in game 4 in LA. This series Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick has given up just a total of 2 goals in 3 games, while Broduer for the Devils has given up 8 in just 3 games, 2 of them being overtime loses in games 1 and 2.
The Kings opened up the scoring with a controversial goal from defense-men Alec Martinez, Broduer complained to the ref that the whistle should have been blown before the puck went in, but he did not win the argument and the Kings took the 1-0 lead in the 2nd period.
The Devils received plenty of power play minutes in game 3, including a 5 on 3 power play for just about a minute long but failed to put the puck in net. Jonathan Quick made 22 saves on the night for his 3rd post-season shutout and first in the Stanley Cup. Anze Kopitar made it 2-0 on a beautiful cross ice pass from Kings Captain Dustin Brown, which was also set up on a nice play from Kings forward Justin Williams.
Jeff Carter made the game 3-0 on the power play and Justin Williams put the game to rest when he made it 4-0. The Kings are now a very strong 15-2 in the playoffs this season, losing once to just Vancouver in round 1 and Phoenix in round 3, they seem destined to win the Stanley Cup after a strong performance and they get a first crack at it tonight in front of their home crowd. Can the Kings hold off the Devils and finish them out at home, or will the Devils spoil the fun and head to a game 5 in NJ on Saturday? Tonight will be a great game to watch, and fun for hockey fans all over the world. And for the fans of these two teams, good luck!
In identical fashion, the Los Angeles Kings extended their lead to 2-0 by defeating the Devils in overtime in last nights game two.
Los Angeles will take their 2-0 Cup Final lead back to Los Angeles with a chance to win the Cup in the Staples Center. The Kings are the first team in NHL history to go 10-0 on the road in the playoffs. » Read more..
One of the most unexpected Stanley Cup Final match ups you’ll ever see will be upon us Wednesday night.
When the 2012 Playoffs started, nobody expected a six seed and an eight seed to be the last two teams standing to fight for Lord Stanley’s Cup.
The run that these two teams had to make it this far is remarkable. It took the Devils double overtime in a game seven against the Florida Panthers to advance to the second round. That would propel New Jersey to take down the rugged Philadelphia Flyers in five games–That was a huge upset considering the Flyers man handled the heavily favored Pittsburgh Penguins–and would put New Jersey in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Devils would meet the number one seeded New York Rangers in the third round, and would beat them in six games.
The Kings went through a gauntlet for their Western Conference Championship. Los Angeles blew everyone’s mind 
when they defeated the top seeded, President’s Trophy winning, defending Western Conference champions, Vancouver Canucks in five games. The Kings would then sweep the number two seed St. Louis Blues, and then would handle the Phoenix Coyotes in five games to win the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl (the trophy given to the Western Conference Champion).
The Kings are 12-2 this postseason, and are a perfect 8-0 on the road. I’m sure that 8-0 record on the road is placed front and center in Devils head coach Peter DeBoer’s head.
The big reason why New Jersey’s in the finals because of their depth. Deboer is able to roll all four lines knowing that they all will generate scoring chances, and provide a relentless forecheck. Kovalev leads the Devils in scoring with 18 points (7G+11A) and Captain, Zach Parise, has 14 points (7G+7A). The Devils fourth line consisting of Stephen Gionta, Steve Bernier, and Ryan Carter. Carter had a goal in game five and in game six in the series win against the Rangers.
The Kings are in the finals due to their relentless offense. 15 different players have at least one goal, and 15 have at least one assist. Kings head coach, Darryl Sutter, relies mostly on his top six forwards. Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar have been the leaders for LA. Brown leads the team with 16 points, has scored clutch and game winning goals, has delivered and received big hits, and plays solid defense. Dustin Penner’s line with Richards and Carter has found success in the postseason. Penner has 10 points (3G+7A — His most recent goal sent the Kings to the Finals) Richards has 11 points (4G+7A) and Carter has recorded 9 points (4G+5A).
This series will also feature two outstanding goalies. One of them is a living legend, and the other is an up and coming superstar. Martin Brodeur is entering his fifth Stanley Cup final, and leads just about every statistical category a goalie can have in the Finals. Brodeur is still the underdog to Quick, but could still potentially bring the Devils another Cup. At the other end of the ice, Jonathan Quick has been lights out. Quick is coming into the Cup 
Finals with a 1.54 Goals Against Average, and a .946 save percentage–not too shabby for playing in the toughest tournament in sports.
Gibs’ Prediction: Kings in 6.
This should be one hell of a series, but don’t be surprised if we get a quick one here. The Devils just got out of a series in which the path to success was scoring once or twice. New Jersey was used to the Rangers playing conservative, defense first, and tight. New York wanted to win their games 1-0 or 3-2.
The Kings are the complete opposite. Los Angeles’ offense has been best by far in the postseason, and they’re not going to slow down anytime soon. The Kings score from all over their roster, and their top six forwards have been near unstoppable. The Devils are a strong defensive team, but I don’t know how they’re going to respond to the quick and potent offense Darryl Sutter runs.
One week off, two weeks, a month, it doesn’t matter. Nothing can cool off the red hot Los Angeles Kings.
I’ve been saying it the entire post-season, and I’ll say it again. When the Kings have Kopitar, Brown, Williams, Richards, Doughty, and Quick playing lights out, they’re not going to lose. » Read more..
I think it’s safe to say that the Kings are no longer,”underdogs.”
Last night the Kings completed the four game sweep of the St. Louis Blues advancing to their first Western Conference Final in 19 years–This is only the second time in franchise history the Kings have advanced to the Western Conference Finals. With the series win over the Blues, this years Los Angeles Kings squad is the only No. 8 seed to take out the top two seeded teams in their conference–taking out the No. 1 seed Vancouver Canucks in five games and the No. 2 seed St. Louis Blues in four.
They’ve reached the third round of the playoffs thanks to a strong penalty kill, flawless goaltending by Jonathan Quick, and strong offensive support form their leaders: Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar.
Brown and Kopitar combined for 12 points in this series (Both scoring two goals and four assists), and Quick lowered his Goals Against Average to 1.55 and improved his save percentage to an impressive .949 in the process–Those numbers lead all goaltenders in the playoffs thus far.
Everything seems to be clicking for Los Angeles. They’re killing off 92.1% of their penalties, they’re getting potent offense from their top six forwards, Quick is doing backflips in net, they immediately respond to goals against, they can score on you short handed, and they win in regulation (Game 5 in Vancouver was the only game this postseason to go into OT– Stoll scored to advance LA into the second round).
Those are solid ingredients to have if you’re cooking up a recipe to win the Stanley Cup.
Even though St. Louis lost, you have to respect the fact that the Blues came off a very impressive year. The Blues gathered 109 points in the regular season, and took home the Central Division crown after starting their campaign 6-7-0 before Ken Hitchcock took over.
Hitchcock has to win the Jack Adams (coach of the year) trophy. This was the Blues first trip to the second round since 2002, and first playoff birth in three years. When he took over in November, the Blues went on a 15-2-4 run. Those stats have got to be looked at when choosing this years Jack Adams recipient.
St. Louis dominated the Sharks in round one winning four straight games advancing into the second round. Unfortunately for St. Louis, their journey would end in the Conference semi’s after losing game four last night, 3-1.
The face of the matter is that the Kings were in complete control of the series. To briefly break it down for you:
Game 1: The Blues struck first, but the Kings responded with three unanswered goals. St. Louis couldn’t figure out Quick after their first and only goal. LA dominated once they tied the game.
Game 2: A laugher for Los Angeles. The Kings scored four first period goals winning 5-2–
led by three Dustin Brown assists and two Anze Kopitar goals (one of which came short-handed).
Games three and four were almost identical. The Kings scored first, the Blues would tie it up, then LA would pull away, and would eventually sweep the series.
Los Angeles has absolutely found their groove not only on defense, but on the offensive side of the puck this postseason.
The Kings have 15 players with at least one goal, and 17 with at least one point. These are pretty significant numbers considering the Kings have only played 9 postseason games thus far. Brown leads LA with 11 points (6G+5A). He also has, arguably, the prettiest goal for the Kings this postseason, and without a doubt the biggest goal in the postseason. Here’s the goal that was the game winner in last night’s game four:
http://nhl.cdn.neulion.net/u/videocenter/embed.swf
Kopitar has 10 points (3G+7A), Richards has 8 points (3G+5A), and Williams & Penner have heated up, both accumulating 7 points (both scoring 2G+5A).
You can look around at the other series currently taking place, and you won’t find numbers as impressive as the Kings’. Everyone’s contributing, the big name players are scoring consistently, Quick is on top of his game, and they’re finishing everything from their checks and scoring chances, to finishing their games in regulation.
I don’t see anyone else in the playoffs working this well together as a collective unit. The scoring is diverse, the penalty killing is superb, the goal support is present, and they’re not afraid to be physical.
Something that isn’t brought up enough, and is very important, is the consistency factor. Nobody has dropped off offensively, and as the playoffs go on, more and more players on the Kings roster are starting to get in a groove. That is a very important characteristic for a team to have if they want to play in the finals.
The Kings are just the third No. 8 seed in history to reach the conference finals. The Canadiens did it two years ago, and the 2006 Oilers are the lone 8 seed to win the conference and play for the Cup.
This is just the second trip to the Conference Finals in franchise history for the Kings. 1993 was the last time they made it this far, and that was the season they reached their one and only Stanley Cup Final.
I believe history will repeat itself for the Kings this year.
The past week, the second round of the Western Conference semi-finals got underway, and gave us an idea of how this series will play out. The Kings haven’t taken their foot off the gas from the first round, and the Coyotes continue to impress.
(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings: Kings Lead 2-0
This series is going just how I thought it would, and it wasn’t that hard to figure out. Like I said last week, when you’ve got Kopitar, Brown, Richards, Williams, and Quick all playing well–you’ve got a very good chance of advancing.
In game one David Backes got the Blues out to a 1-0 lead, but the Kings would completely take the game away. Penner had one goal and a helper, Brown and Richards each picked up an assist, and Matt Greene had a short handed goal to propel the Kings to a 3-1 win. I’m a firm believer of if you give up a short handed goal in a game–you’re not winning that game.
In game two, the Kings never let St. Louis see the light. Just 31 seconds into the game Mike Richards drilled a loose puck home to give LA the lead. Later on in the period Anze Kopitar would score short-handed which sparked the Kings to score three goals in a five minute and 22 second time period. Kopitar had two of those goals.
It looks like I was wrong when I said the Kings have this series in six games. I should’ve said four or five the way Los Angeles is working the Blues. If a 2-0 hole isn’t bad enough for St. Louis, the Kings are getting more scoring outside their core group. Dustin Penner has caught fire in this series scoring one goal and collecting three assists in the two games played. Jonathan Quick playing out of his mind for LA isn’t helping the Blues either. For an example: http://nhl.cdn.neulion.net/u/videocenter/embed.swf
As far as the Blues are concerned, they need to wake up, and they need to wake up quick. Brian Elliot is doing all he can, but he’s not getting any help from his front line. The only offense they’re getting is from their Captain David Backes who has a goal and two assists so far.
The Blues better figure something out tonight as game three takes place tonight in the Staples Center. A Kings victory tonight, and the series is essentially over for St. Louis.
(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (4) Nashville Predators
The Coyotes weren’t kidding around when they beat the Blackhawks in the first round, and they aren’t joking now. The Coyotes ability to get out to a 2-0 series lead is pretty impressive considering they almost threw away game one.
Phoenix opened up the game scoring first on a Radim Vrbata snipe shot, but then would 
lose it later in the period to Brandon Yip. That’s how game one went. Phoenix would score, Nashville would respond, and wouldn’t let Phoenix run away with a one goal lead. With 4:42 left in regulation the Predators were able to tie the game forcing overtime, which is unfamiliar grounds for Nashville in the playoffs. For Phoenix, it was just another day in the office. Ray Whitney would score the game winner in the Coyotes sixth overtime game in, at the time, their seventh playoff game.
In game two the Predators just didn’t show up. I’m not trying to take away any credit from Phoenix, but Nashville’s heads were in a different place. The Coyotes were skating all over them, and got to every loose puck in front of the net. Three out of Phoenix’s five goals came from rebounds in front of the net. The Predators came close, and brought the game within one in the second period on a power play goal scored by Patric Honrnqvist. That one goal deficit would only last twenty seconds as Taylor Pyatt would slam a rebound home. Pekka Rinne could’ve done a better job absorbing some shots, but you can’t put all the blame on him. Nashville defenders were caught napping, and Coyote forwards were swarming the net all game long.
Last night, in game three, the Predators would have their backs against the wall. If being down 2-0 wasn’t bad enough, Nashville would be without top six forwards Andrei Kostitsyn and Alexander Radulov for breaking unspecified team rules. That was a big blow for Nashville. Radulov leads the team in scoring with one goal and six points. Kostitsyn is another big offensive contributor with three goals and four points.
Nashville would still get the job done without two of their leading post-season scorers. David Legwand stayed hot scoring the games first goal, and Mike Fisher finally scored his first goal of the 2012 playoffs as well–both goals scored in the first period.
Another factor in game three was Coyote net minder, Mike Smith. Smith didn’t play like the goalie we saw in the first round and first two games of this series. On Legwand’s goal, Smith played the puck at the side of the net, and sent it around the boards behind the net. Smith, who is usually smart with the puck, was not cognizant of his surroundings. Smith wanted to send the puck around the net for Aucoin, but didn’t realize Aucoin was busy fighting off a charging Gabriel Bourque. Bourque took the errand pass from Smith, immediately centered it for Legwand who was all alone in the slot with a wide open net to shoot at. It was that kind of night for Phoenix. The Coyotes would outshoot the Pred’s 32-26, but Pekka Rinne wasn’t about to have another poor performance, and stood on his head.
I picked the Predators in five, but this is shaping up like it could go to seven games. Nashville is 3-1 at home in the playoffs so far, and Rinne has a 1.5 goals against average on home ice. I like the Predators to win tomorrow night, sending the series back to Phoenix tied up at two game a piece.
After a fast, violent, game seven-less, and over-time filled first round in the Western Conference, round two is finally upon us.
The first round showed us that the seeding really doesn’t matter. Road teams in the West went 14-7 in the first round, and all four teams that advanced (Blues, Coyotes, Predators, Kings) won three of their four games on the road. I believe that will continue to be the trend here in the second round.
The biggest factor going into the Western Conference Semi’s will be the goaltending. All four goalies (Brian Elliot, Mike Smith, Pekka Rinne, and Jonathan Quick) have been lights out, and are probably one of the main reasons their respected teams moved on to the second round.
(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings
It shouldn’t be a surprise that St. Louis is favored in this series, but it is surprising that they’re favored to win the Stanley Cup– now that Vancouver and Pittsburgh have been eliminated. In my opinion, the Kings themselves are the bigger story. I knew Los 
Angeles would put up a fight against the President Trophy winning Canucks, but like I posted in my Wild Wild West article I didn’t think they would get out to a 3-0 lead. If anyone knows that the Kings are a dangerous team, it’s the St. Louis Blues.
During the regular season the Kings won three out of four meetings against St. Louis. Kings net minder, Jonathan Quick, allowed just one goal in those three meetings posting a .989 save percentage. Brian Elliot faced the Kings twice, but only had one start. On October 18th Elliot came in to relieve Jaroslav Halak and allowed one goal in a 5-0 loss. March 22nd was Elliot’s scheduled start which resulted in a 1-0 shootout loss.
These teams were the two best defensive clubs in the NHL during the regular season. Jonathan Quick and Brian Elliot provided the formula with 19 combined shootouts. On the other side of the puck, these two teams finished towards the bottom in offense during the regular season. The Blues were 21st in the league in scoring, averaging 2.51 goals a game. The Kings were almost dead last with 2.29.
Gibs’ Prediction: Kings in 6.
I was impressed how the Kings handled the Canucks, especially in the Rogers Centre. The Blues dominated the Sharks, but Los 
Angeles is a lot younger than San Jose. I’m also a firm believer of playoff experience being an advantage. I know that the four teams that advanced in the West aren’t used to winning playoff series, but this is the third straight season the Kings have been in the playoffs (first year out of the three that they advanced). For St. Louis this is just their second appearance in four seasons (first time they advanced in 12 years).
So whats the deciding factor? Offensive weapons, and the Kings have a little more ammunition than the Blues. For LA–Kopitar, Brown, Williams, Richards, Doughty, and Carter all played a solid first round, and Jonathan Quick showed why he’s a contender for the Vezina Trophy in the first round. I expect those seven guys to stay hot, and lead the Kings past the Blues in the second round.
(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (4) Nashville Predators
I’m intrigued by this series. Nashville looked solid against the perennial Stanley Cup contending Red Wings, and handled the Shea Weber-Henrik Zetterberg drama tremendously. It may not seem like a big deal now, but a controversial hit can shift momentum in a series–the Predators responded well to adversity there. Phoenix was impressive in their series against the 
Blackhawks, and made history with their first playoff series win as the Phoenix Coyotes (the last time the franchise won a playoff series was in 1987 when they were the Winnipeg Jets).
Remember that stat about the record for road teams in the first round? Well that plays a strong role in this series.
In the regular season the two teams split the season series 2-2, and the two wins for each club came on the road. Like the Kings-Blues series, this series showcases two red hot goaltenders in Nashville’s Pekka Rinne, and Phoenix’s Mike Smith. Both of whom are the major reason why the two teams advanced to the second round. However, Mike Smith only faced the Predators once in the regular season, losing to Nashville 5-4 in a shootout. Coyote’s backup, Jason LaBarbera started in the first three meetings for Pheonix.
It wouldn’t be fair to Mikkel Boedker, Antoine Vermette, David Legwand, and Gabriel Bourque to say that goaltending was the sole reason their respected teams advanced into the second round. For Phoenix, Boedker had back-t0-back game winning overtime goals in round one, and Vermette currently leads the Coyotes in scoring with four goals, and five points. On the other side of the puck, Nashville’s David Legwand had goals in back-to-back games (games four and five), and rookie Gabriel Bourque has been raising eyebrows with his play registering three goals with four points.
Gibs’ Prediction: Predators in 5.
This series is so evenly matched I have to go with seven games. The tipping point for me is, again, experience. This is the second year in a row that the Predators have reached the second round of the playoffs. Another big factor going into my decision is how these two teams won their games. Three of Phoenix’s four wins were decided in overtime, and five out of the six games between 
the Blackhawks and Coyotes went to overtime. Nashville didn’t see or need extra time to eliminate Detroit. So what does that tell you? It tells you that once the Predators have a lead, they keep it.
You can’t say that about the Coyotes who played the majority of the series from in front with the lead. Phoenix coughed up a 2-1 lead in the final 15 seconds of the third period in game one (Hanzal won it for the ‘Yotes), failed to hold onto a 3-2 lead in the third period of game two (Bickell tied the series up for Chicago in overtime), and couldn’t make a 1-0 lead last long enough in the third period in game five (Toews kept the series alive in overtime). I like Nashville to take care of business against a Coyotes team who’s in unchartered territory playing in the second round.
