First round playoff match up - LA Kings

[Madcombinepilot]

Can't take the Kings lightly.

They have a goalie that can steal games,
They have a forward corps that can score,
They have a coach that (while he doesnt win everything) knows how to beat us,

We need to be serious, and play this game by game. if we do this, and stick to the AV system, we will be OK. Canucks in 5 or 6 (depends on if thier goalie steals 1 game or 2)

If we get rattled, or look to round 2, it will be a 1 goal game back in vancouver in about 2 weeks, that we will be wishing we were not playing in....

[Meds]

Anyone see Richards' hit on Couture?

Shades of Claude Lemieux.

I'm not sure how Rome's hit (coming less than a second late) is worthy of a 4 game suspension in the Stanley Cup Finals, but that blatant hit from behind that drives a vulnerable player head first into the boards only merits a 2 minute penalty with no suplemental discipline.

[tantalum]

G/G
Van 2.94 (5th)
LA 2.29 (29th)

GA/G
Van 2.33 (4th)
LA 2.07 (2nd)

5-on-5 GF/GA
Van 1.19 (4th)
LA 0.98 (17th)

PP
Van 19.8 (4th)
LA 17.0 (17th)

PK
Van 86.0 (6th)
LA 87.0 (4th)


Injuries:
Van - Daniel (concussion), Ballard (Concussion, taking contact), Volpatti (Shoulder, skating), Kassian (shoulder err upper body, day to day to out for season), Pinnizotto (shoulder, out for season)

LA - Carter (ankle bone bruise, day-to-day), Parse (hip, out for season), Gagne (concussion, indefinite likely out for season)


The stats point to a canuck series win and I expect that is what will happen especially if the canucks use the biggest thing they hold over the Kings to their advantage...team speed. The Kings as a team are not fast nor do they move the puck up ice well. The Sharks have shown the last two games what a hard and fast forecheck can do to the Kings.

Canucks will likely not have Daniel to start the series or at all given he hasn't started skating yet. That would imply he is at least a week away at this point. That is ~0.5 GPG out of the lineup so others need to step up (ahem Kesler, Booth, and Raymond). Carter is expected back for game 1 but may not be 100% and with him the last few years it seems only a matter of time before he hurts a foot.

Quick reminds me a lot of Thomas at times. An aggressive goaltender that can be dead in the water on second attempts or pulled out of position. It will be up to the canucks to beat the Kings D-men to rebounds and get position on them. Quick has been a bit up and down during the stretch...5 games of his last 14 he's allowed 3 or more. He can be scored on. His playoffs thus far have not been great.

This could be the ultimate drinking game series...take a drink every time Brown or Kesler take a dive.

Key for the canucks....keep Kopitar in check.

Key for LA...find a way to deal with canuck speed.

It won't be easy but I think the canucks take it in 6.

[coco_canuck]

There isn't an easy 1st round opponent in the West, but personally, I'd rather face LA over SJ or Phx.

It'll likely be a low-scoring series with most games being decided by a goal or two. The Kings have some solid top-end talent, but they have difficulty generating offence from their back-end and their bottom 6 forward group leaves a lot to be desired.

On defence, the advantage clearly goes to Vancouver in terms of overall talent, speed and depth.

We'll hear a lot of talk about Quick being the great equalizer for LA. Granted, he's had a fantastic regular season, is very talented, and can steal a game or two on his own, but the playoffs will be a major challenge for a goalie who has struggled nightly in his 12 playoff games. The concern in Vancouver is Luongo being out-duelled by Quick, and if that happens, Schneider will be ready to come in. Based on Luo's playoff experience and Schneider's ability, I still give the edge in goal to Vancouver, but even if you want to argue that the advantage should go to LA, it's only negligible, and likely not enough to give the Kings a decided advantage.

To get a better idea of what the teams look like top to bottom, here are the projected rosters, lines may change, for game 1.

Canucks
Sedin Sedin Burrows
Booth Kesler Raymond
Higgins Pahlsson Hansen
Malhotra Lapierre Bitz/Weise

Hamhuis Bieksa
Edler Salo
Rome Tanev Ballard-Alberts-Gragnai

Luongo
Schneider

Kings
Williams Kopitar Brown
Penner Richards Carter
King Stoll Richardson
Frasor Lewis Clifford

Mitchell Doughty
Scuderi Voynov
Greene Martinez

Quick
Bernier

The Kings forward group is particularly anemic, considering Malhotra has 1 more point than Penner, both have 7 goals.

If the Canucks 3rd line with Pahlsson is offensively challenged, the Kings 3rd line is an offensive black hole. Higgins, Pahlsson and Hansen have combined for 38 goals this season, LA's 3rd and 4th lines combined have 26 goals. To put into perspective how anemic that production from LA's bottom 6 is, Malhotra, Weise and Lapppy have combined for 21 goals.

As much as I like Kopitar and Brown, they're not as good as the Twins, and I like Carter and Richards, but the 3rd man on that line, Penner, is a liability.

If Doughty's sharp early development would have maintained its pace, he would have been hands down the best defenseman in this series, but Edler is more potent offensively, and Hamhuis is far superior defensively.

Where LA will succeed is collapsing on the net, keeping the opponent to the outside, and forcing shots from the perimeter. The Kings don't block nearly as many shots as the Bruins did in their similar collapse defence that takes away the back-door play to protect Quick's aggressive style.

The key for Vancouver is pretty simple, get traffic in front of the net, cut to the net with the puck and gain position on defender to pounce on rebounds.

Quick goes down in his butterfly pretty early, and he's very good making saves from his knees with those pads, so beating him down low will be difficult, but he gives up rebounds and he can be exploited up high.

It will be tough series in the trenches, the Kings work hard in the dirty areas and they're constantly laying the body.

LA's keys to success will be to prevent the Canucks from getting behind their defence and inside the perimeter. The Kings will try to use their size down low to control the puck and score ugly goals with traffic in front. LA's game plan will be pretty simple without many surprises, but for them it would be the most effective considering they'd get picked apart in transition if they sent an aggressive 2 man forecehck with the 3rd forward crossing the blue-line and aggressive pinches by the defence.

Another key for Vancouver will be scoring first to prevent LA from keeping 4 men behind their side of the red-line.

There are no certainties in the playoffs, but this series should be Vancouver's in 5 games.

[the Dogsalmon]

Vancouver in 5...my playoff stress is already starting...

[Blob Mckenzie]

Canucks in 5.

Kings can't skate with Vancouver and the PP is going to get rolling. Danny will be back for the LA games after Vancouver sweeps the first two . Hopefully Kassian and Bitz can give the 4th line some thump and some real pushback to Greene, Clifford, Nolan etc.

The key to this series for Vancouver is their production from their wingers. This a clear talent edge for Vancouver and if the Canucks can let loose Higgy, Booth, Burrows and the Daniel returns it could get ugly for the Kings. The Kings likely have the most gifted D-man in Doughty but Vancouver has far more speed and depth on the backend. The goalies are a wash.

Perhaps I should join LGK.

LMAO at the people here and at the mongoloid farm saying that Daryl Dutter knows what it takes to beat the Canucks. He beat a Canucks team 17 years ago with a powerhouse Hawks team and beat a Vancouver squad 8 years ago with Alex Bauld in net. Daryl Sutter's coaching record against vancouver has about as much relevance as Vancouver's 94 playoff run to this years playoffs. People need to wake up .

[coco_canuck]

LMAO at the people here and at the mongoloid farm saying that Daryl Dutter knows what it takes to beat the Canucks. He beat a Canucks team 17 years ago with a powerhouse Hawks team and beat a Vancouver squad 8 years ago with Alex Bauld in net. Daryl Sutter's coaching record against vancouver has about as much relevance as Vancouver's 94 playoff run to this years playoffs. People need to wake up .

The Dutter talk is funny.

I'm sure the Canucks are losing sleep over the Kings X-factor behind the bench...

There's a sentiment growing amongst some Kings fans and outside observers that LA will have an advantage by playing a similar style to the Bruins.

I really hope they try to play like Boston because the Kings are nowhere near as physical, the Canucks will be healthier and better equipped to play a physical game, and LA can focus on the intimidation/penalty taking while Van makes them pay on the scoreboard.

[coco_canuck]

Here's the Schedule

Wed 7:30
Fri 7:00
Sun 7:30
Wed 10
Sun TBD
Tues TBD
Thur TBD

So 2 days off after game 3, and then 3 off after game 4.

Not the best schedule, but better to have more off-days than playing 3 in 4 nights.

[Benjo]

If Carter comes back from his ankle bruise I'm sure a couple of guys might give it a love tap or two to see how its holding up.

IMO the biggest equalizer for the Kings is not Quick or Bruins hockey. It is the godawful ice that will have about 15 basketball games played on it next week. Nothing neutralizes our talent like garbage ice.

[Blob Mckenzie]

Some serious pessimism in La La land.

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

lol.

Then contrast that with the mongoloid farm. Probably 90% of the tards feel the Kings will take it.

[Topper]

let the bad ice begin.

[PrisonBull]

Canucks in 4.

[Potatoe1]

If Carter comes back from his ankle bruise I'm sure a couple of guys might give it a love tap or two to see how its holding up.

IMO the biggest equalizer for the Kings is not Quick or Bruins hockey. It is the godawful ice that will have about 15 basketball games played on it next week. Nothing neutralizes our talent like garbage ice.

Agreed,

Not worried about Quick at all in fact I think people are way over rating him.

My concern is Danks injury and the gawd awful ice.

[Arachnid]

I wonder if LAKingGirl will be back, I wasn't finished with her...

[Hockey Widow]

Here's the Schedule

Wed 7:30
Fri 7:00
Sun 7:30
Wed 10
Sun TBD
Tues TBD
Thur TBD

So 2 days off after game 3, and then 3 off after game 4.

Not the best schedule, but better to have more off-days than playing 3 in 4 nights.

I really thought they would give HNIC the Saturday game. HNIC used to lobby for things like that. I don't mind the extra dates off especially if Dank is not ready to go quite yet.