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Round 1: Vegas Breakdown and Prediction |
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As the hockey world gets ready to take in what is sure to be a playoff crazed atmosphere in Las Vegas tonight, it is also the beginning of a new rivalry.
When the NHL added Vegas as their 31st club, it added another relatively close geographical rival to the Los Angeles Kings. Only four hours away driving (one if you’re flying), fans of either city can reap the rewards of seeing their favorite team play.
This season the two teams battled to a 2-2 draw in the season series. The Golden Knights won their games back in November and December. On Nov. 19, the Knights defeated the Kings 4-2 where LA was in the midst of a streak that saw them lose eight out of 10 games. That was also the second win in what would be five in a row for the Golden Knights.
The following game on Dec. 28, LA lost again to Vegas in overtime by a score of 3-2. LA once again at that point was in the midst of losing 12 out of 17 games in a stretch that saw them fall out of contention for the Pacific Division crown. Meanwhile the Golden Knights were in the middle of winning 12 of 13 games at that point.
Los Angeles’ two victories against the Knights came during a back-to-back on Feb. 26 and 27. The Kings, in the thick of a playoff race, was hot winning six of eight games, including a 3-2 overtime win and a 4-1 victory over the Knights. Vegas at that point was cemented in their spot as the Pacific Division champion and was going around .500 at that point.
After the shocking inaugural season for the Vegas Golden Knights, the expansion team not only finds themselves in the playoffs, but with home ice as a division winner. They used their depth and speed up front to shock teams offensively, while they’re underrated defense used their new found opportunity to show the hockey world what they can do.
Not to mention a three-time Stanley Cup winner in net by the name of Marc-Andre Fleury.
With all that said, there is a huge difference between playing a different team every night in the regular season than trying to find a way to beat the same team four out of seven games. Experience and learning how to adjust quickly is a focal point for a playoff series.
When breaking down a playoff series, I like to look at it through three simple categories: Forwards, Defense, and Goaltending.
Goaltending
Starting from the net out, goaltending is a wash in this series. Jonathan Quick and Fleury have won five Stanley Cups between them and dominated to do so. The 2017-18 season is no different as Quick won the Jennings Trophy for the team that has allowed the fewest goals against on the season while Fleury led the league with a 2.24 GAA.
Both have also had their issues this year. Fleury had injury problems at the beginning of the season and fans always wonder how long he’ll be able to stay healthy. Quick has imploded at time during the 2017-18 season, where the team felt more comfortable riding the hot hand in Darcy Kuemper for a stretch until Quick got his game together.
Winner: Tie
Defense
As it was for most of the Vegas players, the top defenseman on the team had career highs in points. Stuck as fourth to sixth defensemen on their previous clubs, Colini Miller, Nate Schmidt, and Shea Theodore all excelled with the extra ice time where they gathered 41, 36, and 29 points respectively.
With the help of heart and soul player, Deryk Engelland, on the back end and the guidance of head coach Gerard Gallant, the team has been able to use their speed and focus on offense to keep their opponents stuck in the defensive end. When they are in their own zone, they rely on positioning rather than physicality to get the job done.
With all that said, the Golden Knights do not have a Drew Doughty. I don’t think they have a Jake Muzzin, Alec Martinez or Dion Phaneuf either. The top four of the LA Kings is right up at the top of the league along with the Nashville Predators and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Each of those four guys are capable of playing 30 minutes a night and have had experience doing so in these playoff situations.
Winner: Los Angeles Kings
Forwards:
William Karlsson was a surprise to everyone this season, especially the Columbus Blue Jackets. Prior to the expansion draft, Columbus traded their 2017 first round pick, 2019 second round pick, and David Clarkson’s contract to Vegas so they would take Karlsson instead of anyone else.
No one would have expected him to put up 43 goals and 78 points in 82 games this season. The same could be said for Reilly Smith, who was a salary dump in a deal that also saw Jonathan Marchessault come to Vegas from the Florida Panthers. Smith put up 22 goals and 60 points this season.
Those type of stories run rampant throughout the Golden Knights line up. The only players that the hockey world knew would light it up for the team were Marchessault and James Neal, both proven high scoring forwards.
The depth of skill that they have up front is the key to their success as they try to out score and out speed you every game. Early in the season, the Kings struggled against the depth of this team as their third and fourth lines couldn’t keep up.
However, after the Kings retooled leading up to the Trade Deadline, LA acquired the depth to play with these fast Golden Knights. Just as it was on defense, the Golden Knights don’t have a Selke and Hart Trophy candidate like Anze Kopitar, who should be the best forward in this series.
As well, the Golden Knights are missing hard nosed players like Dustin Brown and Alex Iafallo who can muck it up in the corners, get the puck to the highly skilled players, while putting themselves in positions to contribute offensively.
Then there’s the 70’s line of Tanner Pearson, Jeff Carter, and Tyler Toffoli that can dominate at any point. Carter is a better version of James Neal, and Toffoli is capable of being the most talented forward on the ice at any time.
Throw in Adrian Kempe, who can be inserted in any of the top three lines and contribute at a high level, and the speed and skill of Tobias Reider and this should be a formidable forward group.
Winner: Los Angeles Kings
The Golden Knights fans may use the arguments of the fact that people have been saying these things about them all season but they’ve come out ahead each time. As I said before, regular season and playoffs are completely different animals and the Kings experience and the fact that they can set up and focus on a game plan for the Golden Knights every night will make their team ineffective.
Prediction: Los Angeles Kings in 6
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • 
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