The Los Angeles Kings have done two things since the start of the NHL post season back in April – prove hockey experts wrong, and win hockey games. The Kings are a mere one win away, and in the process make my prediction of a long, hard-fought Stanley Cup final seem foolish. They are a mere one win away from winning it all and earning the franchise its first Stanley Cup. Most importantly, they are a mere one win away from history.
At the start of the season the Kings were widely considered to be amongst the league’s elite and contend for Lord Stanley’s mug. On paper they had one of the deepest squads in the NHL – a three-line scoring offence with some of the best depth at center in the league, a solid defensive core lead by the likes of Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson, and a young stud goaltender by the name of Jonathan Quick. With the off-season addition of Mike Richards, things were looking very bright for the Kings heading into the start of 2011-2012 season. To the surprise of no one, the Kings started the year 5-1-1. They followed that solid start by going a dismal 8-11-3 for a record of 13-12-4 overall, and the eventual firing of head coach, Terry Murray.
John Stevens was named interim head coach for four games until December 20th, when the team named Darryl Sutter its new bench boss. The Kings struggled mightily to score goals, but went on to a record of 25-13-11 under their new coach due to some stingy team defense and the amazing play of their goaltender. The late season addition of Jeff Carter at the expense of Jack Johnson would seem to give the team some added scoring depth down the stretch and into the playoffs. The Kings finished the season with a record of 40-27-15 for a total of 95 points and squeaked themselves into the playoffs on the back of Quick, as the eighth seed.
Though not considered to be huge underdogs, few people had the eighth place Kings getting by the President’s Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks. Again, with excellent goaltending, they made short work of the league’s best team with a 3-0 start and a 4-1 series victory. As a surprise to all, next came the second round sweep of the well-coached and deeply talented St. Louis Blues. That momentum carried L.A. passed an under-matched Phoenix team in a rather easy 4-1 series victory in the third round. Consensus going into the finals had the Kings as the favorite versus the Devils, with Jersey giving them a run for their money. After another surprising 3-0 start for the Kings, game 4 has more on the line for L.A. than just a championship. The Kings have a chance to etch their names into sports history.
If L.A. can win on Wednesday night and complete the sweep they would not only win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, but they would finish the year with a playoff record of 16-2. Under the current four-round, best-of-seven series format, the only other team in NHL history to accomplish this was the 1988 Edmonton Oilers. Not to take anything away from that Oilers team, but with a roster consisting of hockey greats such as Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, and Fuhr, that record came to the surprise of no one. What has made the Kings post-season run even more impressive is that they have done this as an eighth seed and in the new salary cap era of the NHL.
More parity in today’s league means that even making the playoffs has become more difficult, and winning those playoff games all the more so. NHL History has already been made with the Kings being the only team to start all four rounds of the playoffs with a 3-0 series lead. Let’s not forget that dating back to last season, the Kings now hold the NHL record for most consecutive post-season road victories with 11 (9 this year and 2 last season). Besides the Kings, the only other eighth-seeded teams in professional sports to make the finals were the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers in 2006, who lost in seven games, and the NBA’s New York Knicks in 1999, who were losers in five games. With yet another 3-0 lead, and the series all but over, L.A. has the best chance to become the first ever eighth seed to win a championship in North American professional sports history.
After an unpredictable NHL season that has made anything seem possible, the only thing I know for certain is that the Stanley Cup will be in the building at the Staples Center Wednesday night. Will more history be made?
… and that’s the Last Word.
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