LA KINGS OUTSIDER 2.0

Doughty could win or lose this series for the Kings. Most Kings fans would immediately give the advantage to Los Angeles here.  The Kings allowed 2.07 goals per game, 2 nd best in the league but Vancouver wasn’t far behind allowing 2.22 goals, 5 th best. Both teams  showcase two of the brightest young blueliners in the NHL.  The Kings are led by 22-year old Drew Doughty, who burst onto the scene as one of Canada's best defenseman in the 2010 Olympics.  The past two seasons have been filled with inconsistencies and a contract dispute but make no mistake he's still been the Kings most valuable blueliner.  With the departure of Christian Ehrhoff to Buffalo via free agency, 25-year-old Swede Alexander Edler made sure the Canucks didn’t miss a beat and had by far the most productive season of his young career. The Kings and Canucks bluelines are built differently.  The Kings have three puck-moving defenseman featuring Doughty, Slava Voynov, and Alec Mart...

The Kings can score now. Each team relies on their top-line to lead the way offensively.  The line of Kopitar-Brown-Williams were the Kings' top three point producers this season.  Vancouver's top line of the Sedins and Burrows also led the way for the Canucks.  Both lines have produced at a similar pace this season.  L.A.'s top trio has combined for 69 goals while Vancouver's has combined for 72 goals.  Both lines led their respective teams during their four regular season matchups this season.  For Los Angeles, Anze Kopitar (goal, 3 assists) and Justin Williams (2 goals, 1 assist) led the way.  Vancouver was led by the NHL’s favorite Swedish twins, Daniel (goal, 3 assists) and Henrik Sedin (2 assists).  The Kings offensive struggles have been well-documented.  They were shutout a league-high 10 times this season.  With that said, the Kings have only been shutout once since the acquisition of Jeff Carter (vs. Vancouver 1-0).  ...

"Reunited & It Feels So Good.." It’s no secret.  The Los Angeles Kings are floundering.  The Kings have won only two of their last ten.  The entire roster has struggled to score goals, averaging only 2.05 goals per game, dead last in the NHL. The Kings averaged 2.55 goals last season (25 th in the league).  Dean Lombardi did his best to bolster their anemic offense in the offseason.  Unfortunately, the results this season have been mixed at best. Fans were ecstatic when Dean Lombardi acquired Mike Richards prior to the Draft.  He was fantastic during the first two months of the season posting 20 points in 24 games.  Unfortunately, Richards has only 11 points in 29 games since suffering a concussion in early December.  PASS. Perfect, DL got a #1A center to compliment Kopitar.  Only box that needed to be checked was a top-line left wing… Dustin Penner.  His late-season struggles followed him into this season.  He’s got fi...

Mike Richards Is A KING?!?! Yeah...I'll Drink To That Remember when it was rumored that the Kings might be after Vinny Lecavalier back in February 2010 ?  I said this. Take a look at recent Stanley Cup Winners.  In addition to great goaltending; every team's had a great 1A/1B center combination.  Penguins with Crosby/Malkin, Red Wings with Datsyuk/Zetterberg, Hurricanes with Brind'Amour/Staal, Lightning with Lecavalier/Richards. As much as I love Jarret Stoll; he's not in the same-class as any of those players.  Some would argue that Brayden Schenn could be that player but I'm not sure the Kings are prepared to wait 3-4 years to find out.  And then remember when the Kings were struggling in January this season and I said this .  DL will wait for a full season of Brayden Schenn before he even considers making a move for an impact player.  Schenn will play next season as a 20-year old.  A lot of ‘experts’ compare Schenn to Philadel...