Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports
It has been 15 years since a team has been able to win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, but the Los Angeles Kings look poised and ready to give it a shot. Shortly after their amazing postseason run concluded with lifting the coveted trophy last spring, it was realized that the Kings would be returning pretty much the same lineup for this season. When they got off to a rough start, the doubters were loud. Now that they’ve had an entire season to get things together, the Kings look just as dangerous as they did at the end of last season which could spell trouble for their playoff opponents.
If the Kings are able to win their season finale on Saturday, they would retain the fifth spot in the Western conference and face a St. Louis Blues team that they eliminated in the second round of last year’s playoffs. Goaltender Jonathan Quick has won four of his last six starts, and looks every bit the player he was while taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy last season. The Blues won their final game, which means the Kings won;t be starting with home-ice advantage. Considering they didn’t have it in any of the four rounds last season, that may not end up mattering much.
Jeff Carter has two goal and four points in the last three games, and ranks near the top of the league with 26 goals. With Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams turning it on at the right time the offense is in good shape. The playoffs will also captain Dustin Brown return from a two-game suspension, which only makes thing better. The Kings made history last season, and they are definitely in good shape to make it again.
Jonathan Katje is an NHL senior writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your circles on Google Plus.
