The Los Angeles Kings are coming into Round 2 after an unexpected series win against the San Jose Sharks. The team rallied from a 3-1 hole to get a four-game sweep of their Western Conference rivals. Now the Kings officially have the longest win streak in the league, but will be tested as they face off in the next series against the Anaheim Ducks.
The Kings struggled against the Sharks in the first four games even though they won once. Goalie Jonathan Quick had his share of issues. None of the team's marquee players were scoring and defensively they fell flat. But a turnaround saw a different Kings' team and they are able to dominate the Sharks in the final few games. The Kings outscored the Sharks in the final four games, 18-5. Quick put together a .963 save percentage in the final stretch to help complete the turnaround.
The Ducks got the best of the Kings in the regular season. They won four of five games against Los Angeles in the regular season. The games were certainly close. Two games were decided by one goal while two others went to shootouts. Now they meet up in the playoffs which is the first time both Southern California franchises will be playing each other in the postseason.
If Anaheim is going to win, they must get past their goalie issues. Both Jonas Hiller and Frederik Andersen have had their ups and downs this postseason and against Los Angeles in the regular season. Hiller stopped 85 of 87 shots in two games while Andersen stopped 94 of 99 in three starts against Los Angeles. Andersen was pulled in Game 6 against the Dallas Stars after he put up four goals on 12 shots.
The Kings have the hot scorers in the postseason. Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams have combined for eight goals and 13 points during their series with the Sharks. If they can keep up the momentum, the Kings have a chance at extending the win streak.
