What would the playoffs be like in this decade without the Los Angeles Kings?
Luckily, we don't have to worry about that this year. They are at it again this spring, pulling off a miracle comeback in the first round against the San Jose Sharks and winning the first two games of their second round series against the Anaheim Ducks on the road.
Anaheim followed up by winning the next two games at Staples Center in Los Angeles, but the Kings still have a good shot at pulling off some more magic if they can come away with a series victory against the Ducks.
What is needed from a team in order to win the Stanley Cup? A consistent superstar? A great goaltender? Timely scoring? A coach with a winning history?
Check, check, check and check for Los Angeles.
Anze Kopitar has been absolutely lighting it up this postseason, and he had tallied fifteen points in his first ten playoff games this year, including at least one in each game until the Kings were shutout by Anaheim rookie goalie John Gibson in Game Four. Kopitar can score and play great defensive hockey as well, as he is a finalist for the Selke Trophy for the league's best defensive forward.
Speaking of trophies, 2012 Conn Smythe winner for playoff MVP, Jonathan Quick has rebounded nicely after a shaky start in the San Jose series. He was pulled after one period in Game Four against Anaheim, but coach Daryl Sutter did it to send a message to his team, not Quick. As long as he is in net, which he will be from now on, the Kings will always have a chance. Nobody is better in clutch situations.
With a goalie like Quick, Los Angeles does not need to score a ton of goals, but the Kings always seem to score when needed. Defenseman Drew Doughty has proven to excel in high-pressure situations and score big goals at crucial times. Newest addition Marian Gaborik got a taste of Kings magic in Game One as he scored the tying goal with seven seconds left in regulation and then netted the game-winner in overtime.
Lastly, Daryl Sutter has been a proven winner since he became the man behind the Kings' bench in 2012. He led the eighth-seeded Kings to a Stanley Cup championship that year and followed up with another trip to the Western Conference Final in 2013. Now, he coached his team all the way back from a 3-0 series deficit in San Jose and locked in a tight battle with the crosstown rival Ducks.
If there was ever a formula for winning, the Kings would match it. They have taught us all to never count them out; whether they are the eighth seed or whether they are facing a seemingly impossible gap to overcome in a playoff series. These Kings are always a legitimate threat to win the Stanley Cup all the way up until they shake hands with the team that defeats them.