Pros & Cons: Los Angeles Kings vs. Vancouver Canucks
Our newest feature, Pros and Cons, holds a debate between two of our featured writers as they make an argument for each team in the series. We will continue this series throughout the playoffs as we delve deeper into how these two teams will interact.
Los Angeles Kings by Anthony Curatolo
It’s been a season that saw the Kings earn the label “cardiac”. This is due, much in part, to the fact that the Kings found ways to overcome adversity quite often during games this year. Trailing time and time again, this Kings team had the “never say die” type attitude and were able to generate third period come backs that helped push them forward; now a Western Conference playoff team.
Over the course of the season, the Canucks and Kings played head to head four times. The problem, the Canucks won three of the four.
Jonathan Quick was charged with all three losses while Jonathan Bernier was between the pipes on April 1st, the final meeting between the two teams which saw the Kings put eight pucks passed Canucks netminder Roberto Luongo in an 8-3 victory.
This is the playoffs and we can erase all regular season situations.
However, of the Kings main contributors, Alex Frolov, Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar are all appearing in their first playoff series. Add to that list Wayne Simmonds, Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty as well as the young Jon Quick.
Now, the veterans of the club, Michal Handzus, Sean O’Donnell, Ryan Smyth, Justin Williams, Rob Scuderi and Fredrik Modin have all been a part of the playoffs. Of those veterans, Williams, O’Donnell, Modin and Scuderi all own Stanley Cup rings.
It comes down to the veterans taking control and leading the youth movement of LA into the second round.
Vancouver Canucks by I-5 Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks survived an NHL record 14 game road trip and injuries to key players such as Kevin Bieksa, Pavol Demitra, Daniel Sedin, and Willie Mitchell to win the Northwest Division for the second time in three years. As a team, they also ended up second in goals for(272), team power-play goals(68), home wins(30), and victories by 3 or more goals(23) – finishing second or tied for first in those categories with the Washington Capitals. Vancouver also led the league in wins(11) when trailing after 2 periods.
In past seasons the Canucks success has been solely on the shoulders of goaltender Roberto Luongo. That wasn’t the case this season as the offense took center stage. Six players scored 25 or more goals and many others finished the season with career years. Veterans Henrik Sedin (Art Ross trophy winner & Hart trophy candidate), Alexandre Burrows, Daniel Sedin, and Ryan Kesler led the way with personal best seasons on the score sheet. Off-season acquisitions Mikael Samuelsson and Christian Erhoff also posted career years (something every GM hopes for when they add players to their team).
While the offense flourished, the defense was another story. Even with the emergence of Erhoff and Alexander Edler, injuries to Bieksa and Mitchell and issues with Mathieu Schneider and Shane O’Brien led to a lot of defensive breakdowns as players that were not expected to log top-4 minutes were called upon to do so night in and night out. Defense and goaltending are the biggest question marks for the Canucks heading into their first round matchup with the Kings. While many feel that Luongo will regain his form of past seasons, without the return of Mitchell (which doesn’t seem likely) the defense will have to play a disciplined game and rely on the forwards to backcheck and help out on defense.
Many Canucks fans were rooting for this matchup, but make no mistake about it this will be a tough series. The Kings have an excellent mix of experienced veterans and young players that have excelled in one of the toughest divisions in the NHL. In the end though, home ice advantage and a more experienced goaltender will lead the Canucks to victory in 6 games.
