Photo from SB Nation
First off, let's give proper credit to the Phoenix Coyotes, because it's well deserved. Second, being completely serious, who are the Phoenix Coyotes? As a true hockey fan, how many players beside Mike Smith and Shane Doan can you name on the Coyotes? It's hard huh?
Regardless, if you can name their first line or not, they deserve to be in the Western Finals. Beating Chicago 4-2 and then Nashville 4-1makes them a serious contender. However, the Kings are on a warpath.
The Kings had a harder road to get to where they are. They beat last years Stanley Cup finalists the Vancouver Canucks in five games and then went on to sweep the St. Louis Blues. This is the year of the Kings.
Lead by Forward Anze Kopitar and their Captain Dustin Brown, the Kings look strong enough to win it this year. Not to mention, they are anchored by the young American net-minder Jonathan Quick who is boasting a save percentage of .945 so far during the playoffs.
A lot of the Kings success must be attributed to the ability to win games on the road. The Kings haven't lost a road game yet through their playoff run. But don't count Shane Doan and his Coyotes out quite yet. He stepped up his compete level in the last game. Scoring two goals to make up for his lack of offense points during this series. Goaltender Mike Smith also stepped up his game and stopped all 36 shots the Kings took on him, preserving the shutout and helping the Coyotes take the victory.
All in all, it should be a great game to watch. Catch the game at 9pm est on NBCSN. I will also be live tweeting during the game on Twitter @The_Dasian if you're not able to watch the game live.
- David "The Dasian" Rivard
Regardless, if you can name their first line or not, they deserve to be in the Western Finals. Beating Chicago 4-2 and then Nashville 4-1makes them a serious contender. However, the Kings are on a warpath.
The Kings had a harder road to get to where they are. They beat last years Stanley Cup finalists the Vancouver Canucks in five games and then went on to sweep the St. Louis Blues. This is the year of the Kings.
Lead by Forward Anze Kopitar and their Captain Dustin Brown, the Kings look strong enough to win it this year. Not to mention, they are anchored by the young American net-minder Jonathan Quick who is boasting a save percentage of .945 so far during the playoffs.
A lot of the Kings success must be attributed to the ability to win games on the road. The Kings haven't lost a road game yet through their playoff run. But don't count Shane Doan and his Coyotes out quite yet. He stepped up his compete level in the last game. Scoring two goals to make up for his lack of offense points during this series. Goaltender Mike Smith also stepped up his game and stopped all 36 shots the Kings took on him, preserving the shutout and helping the Coyotes take the victory.
All in all, it should be a great game to watch. Catch the game at 9pm est on NBCSN. I will also be live tweeting during the game on Twitter @The_Dasian if you're not able to watch the game live.
- David "The Dasian" Rivard
