First round playoff match up - LA Kings

[mathonwy]

We got this.

[CFP!]

We got this.

Thanks.

[mathonwy]

Some serious pessimism in La La land.

http://letsgokings.com/f4/playoff_predi ... 81702.html

lol.

[Farhan Lalji]

The Kings will not be an easy opponent, but I feel confident in our boys.

Now is the time to shine.

[Zamboni Driver]

Some serious pessimism in King land.

http://letsgokings.com/f4/playoff_predi ... 81702.html

lol.

First 9 predictions on the Kings site:

I say Van in 5.
Kings in 7
VAN will sweep! Kings only know how to choke.
Vancouver in 5
VAN in 5, and I get arrested for battery if I make it to a game.
Van in 5, choking 2 3rd period leads isn't the way to go into the playoffs.
That's being WAY to positive............Vancouver in four straight against our "money" goaltender.
Van in 6
Until this team grows some balls, it's VAN in 5.


Jeez, that's some serious optimism there.
I guess we'll get to see Richards & Carter up close (why did Philly trade them again? lol)

[Hockey Widow]

It's a new season. The Kings have had problems scoring but they play great defence and have a great goalie. Let the LA fans be pessimistic but we should not be cocky. The 1st round is always the best round for upsets.

We should take the Kings in 5-6 games but should and doing are two different things. I feel comfortable with the match up but I don't think it will be a cake walk.

We have show we can play tight 1 goal games so that is a plus. But we need to find our scoring again to make I easier.

Honestly I don't care who we play in any round. I just want consistent urgent hockey.

[Zamboni Driver]

It's a new season. The Kings have had problems scoring but they play great defence and have a great goalie. Let the LA fans be pessimistic but we should not be cocky. The 1st round is always the best round for upsets.

We should take the Kings in 5-6 games but should and doing are two different things. I feel comfortable with the match up but I don't think it will be a cake walk.

Yeah, I would have preferred to see the Sharks in round one.

[mathonwy]

David Booth scoring in the last game of the season was the best thing that could have happened to him.

GOD HAS NOT FORSAKEN YOU MY SON.

First playoff action ever for god boy. He's going to be PUMPED.

[CrzyCanuck]

Only thing I'm worried about the King is Quick.

We all know how the Canucks have a tendency to be choked by a stellar goaltending; which often resulted in our offence drought, which in turns led to defensive fumbles and eventually lost the game.

Should be a good one.

Canucks in 5 if all goes right.

[dbr]

The Kings have two regulation losses in their last fourteen games.

[Hockey Widow]

I predict both Canucks and Sens will start Thursday. That way HNIC gets two Canadian games to broadcast on Saturday.

[mr perfect]

Darryl Sutter coached teams are 2-0 in playoffs series against the Canucks. Time to change that.

Vancouver using their speed and getting their power play going will be keys to defeating the Kings.

I wonder if the bozo(s) who haunted this board on behalf of Kings fans in the 2010 series will return. I had alot of fun insulting the fenceposts who were too stupid to understand what I posted about them.

[Waffle]

We need to not only have the goalies tracking the puck well, but the rest of the team needs to be focused on the puck.

Focus, Focus, Focus.


Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.

[mathonwy]

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Matthew- ... /125/43666

[Meds]

This is NOT a matchup that I'm happy about.

LA has goaltending, size, shooters, goaltending, defense, and did I mention goaltending?

Sutter is a halfway decent coach, and he couldn't benchboss a goal scoring team with Lemieux, Sakic, Yzerman, and Gretzky down the middle. But he can coach playoff hockey, and he can motivate an underdog team that is willing to work hard in front of an elite goaltender.....I did mention that the Kings have some great goaltending right? It was, afterall, Sutter who coached the lunch bucket brigade Flames to the finals in 2004, and just a quick reminder, they went through Vancouver to do it.

Now, that being said, this is a different Vancouver team than the one that played Calgary in the opening round of 2004. It is a different team than the one that beat LA in round one of 2010. The King's are much the same, if anything they are actually a bit slower.

The thing that scares me is the guy in the LA crease, Jonathan Quick. He has been outstanding this year, and the Canucks have only scored 7 goals in 4 meetings with LA. Vancouver has shown a real proclivity for making goalies look amazing this year, and while the Canucks can win 1 goal games, and often find ways to get the "W even when they can't find the back of an empty net from the top of the crease.

Vancouver's only advantages are depth and speed. Those are usually pretty good, but come playoffs when the officials put the whistle away, the advantage shifts to a Sutter coached LA team that will be tough and dirty and get away with it.

Our only hope to making this series something that will be a lock for the Canucks is if Hank was serious about the Canucks mailing in the PP because they know they are being scouted by potential playoff opponents. If the Vancouver PP can get it together, then the Canucks should be able to handle the Kings.

One more thing, Doughty is a hot-head and the Canucks can probably get him into stupid penalty trouble if they send Bitz, Weise, Kassian, Booth, Higgins, and Kesler crashing into him every chance they get.

This series is going the distance.