L.A. Kings Clicking: Cruise Into Western Conference Finals

L.A. Kings Clicking: Cruise Into Western Conference Finals

Expectations for the Los Angeles Kings this season were sky high when they landed Mike Richards and Simon Gagne in an off-season trade with Philadelphia for Wayne Simmonds and highly touted prospect Brayden Schenn. All season long the Kings struggled to score goals and relied on goaltender Jonathan Quick, who is a Vezina Finalist (top goaltender award), to keep them in the hunt for the playoffs. At the trade deadline, the organization looked to add a scorer to the roster. They traded defensemen Jack Johnson to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jeff Carter, a winger who played together with center Mike Richards in Philly last season. Leading  up to the trade deadline the Kings lost 9 of 14 games. To close out the season they won 9 of 14.

The L.A. Kings barely squeaked into the playoffs as the eight seed. Now, they are looking like the favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup at the end of the post-season. The Kings bounced the top seeded Vancouver Canucks in five games and swept the St. Louis Blues in four. Who is this Kings team and how did such a transformation take place?

Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown and Mike Richards celebrate a goal.

Jonathan Quick is the backbone of the Kings. If it wasn't for Quick, the team would not have qualified for the playoffs in the first place. He leads active playoff goalies in save percentage and goals against average. Quick's athleticism in net is beyond any I've seen in these playoffs and his confidence from the regular season has carried over to the playoffs and he's been playing his best games this year.

The forwards are becoming more confident and scoring. The Kings were scoring just over two goals per game in the regular season, in the playoffs they have averaged three goals per game. Dustin Penner has been a huge presence and a big body to throw around at the opposition.

The rolling Kings are finally hitting their stride as a team and meeting the expectations that the city and the rest of the league had for them at the beginning of the season. An often used phrase applies here, "It's not how you start, it's how you finish". Get into the playoffs and anything can happen. The clicking Kings are one step closer to hoisting the Stanley Cup.