Los Angeles Kings (NHL 16 Be A GM)

[Psyblast]

Western Conference Final - Game 6

Scottrade Center	1	2	3	OT	F
	0	0	0	1	1
	0	0	0	0	0

Kings win series, 4-2

How the West was won - again
Defending champions are still defending as Doughty's OT goal sends LA back to the Final


Doughty's snipe midway through overtime ended an unforgettable and unforgiving series

Los Angeles Kings at St. Louis Blues
May 22, 2017 1 2 3 OT F 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Three Stars Jake Allen, G 39 saves, .978 SV% Jonathan Quick, G 32 saves, 1.000 SV% Drew Doughty, D GWG, 3 hits	Team Stats Comparison Shots on Goal 40 32 Hits 17 16 Faceoffs Won-Lost 29 29 Penalty Minutes 9:00 13:00 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 4 2 Time on Attack 9:14 10:54
Scoring Summary OVERTIME Doughty, 2 (Kempe), 11:16

[Psyblast]

Waiting to exhale
Brutalized Kings try to catch their breath before the Final

May 23, 2017

LOS ANGELES - Nobody in the locker room or front office will say it, of course, but it was obvious on the faces of many of Los Angeles's players after Game 6 of the Western Conference Final in St. Louis last night.

The Kings are tired.

The combined strain of yet another deep playoff run into late May and June and the street fighting nature of the last two series against Calgary and St. Louis is catching up to the defending Stanley Cup Champions, who are now four wins away from being the first team to repeat as champs since Detroit in 1997 and 1998.

The Kings are no strangers to street fighting, of course. They have assembled a championship roster on the verge of immortal dynasty status in NHL history based on big, burly players capable of mashing the other team into dust. But they're still human, and the Flames and Blues came at the Kings with their best, and though LA vanquished them, the body blows are adding up. An incredible 13 of the 16 games the Kings have played this postseason have been decided by a single goal, including all six games vs. St. Louis, and the last nine overall. Those last night games have all been decided by a 1-0 or 2-1 score - grinding defensive slugfests that have left the Kings exhausted, weary, and trying to catch their breath before Boston or Pittsburgh arrives for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on May 26th.

This West Final in particular was taxing. While not equalling the heartstopping back and forth epic of the 2014 West Final against Chicago, this series saw the Kings outscore the Blues 7-5 in six games, with three of LA's wins coming by a 1-0 score, and three of the games going to overtime. There was bitterness and hatred in this series, boiling over early in overtime last night as Jeff Carter of all people dropped the gloves with St. Louis's Alex Pietrangelo. The handshake line was brisk and curt; the sign of two teams absolutely tired of beating each other's heads in for two weeks for the fourth time in six years. The Kings and Blues have played 21 playoff games against each other since 2012, and the Kings have beaten St. Louis every time - there is real dislike for each other on both sides. The despair on Jake Allen's face after Drew Doughty's wrist shot beat him blocker side to end the series in overtime last night was palpable.

The 2012 and 2016 championship teams for Los Angeles were overwhelmingly dominant, each team going 16-4 en route to the Cup. The 2014 champions were the "Zombie Kings," the unkillable team that rallied from every type of adversity imaginable to win - down 3-0 to San Jose in the first round, down 3-2 to Anaheim in round two, and down 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3 in Game 7 in Chicago. This year's team is a sterling 12-4 headed into the Final, but the mileage is piling up, and a supremely talented team awaits them, nobody who wins tomorrow night's Game 7 of the East Final in Pittsburgh between the Penguins and Bruins.

If this year's edition of the Kings is to cement the franchise's dynasty status, they will absolutely have to earn it.

[Psyblast]

Pittsburgh it is
Kings and Penguins will face off for the 2017 Stanley Cup

May 25, 2017

LOS ANGELES - This was supposed to be the matchup in last year's Stanley Cup Final. Last year's Penguins won 58 games and stampeded through the season en route to the Presidents' Trophy. But they were upset by Philadelphia in the second round, derailing what many believed to be a sure matchup in the Final.

But this year the matchup has come to pass, as Pittsburgh beat Boston 4-1 in Game 7 of the East Final tonight, setting up a titanic clash in the Stanley Cup Final with the defending champion Los Angeles Kings.

Leading the Penguins is, of course, Sidney Crosby, the reigning (and likely repeat winner) of the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. The best hockey player in the world won the scoring title with 100 points this year, and has followed that up with a league-leading 26 points (15 G, 11 A) in 19 games this postseason. Eight years after winning the Stanley Cup, the 29-year old Crosby is hungry to win a second, but he's far from alone. In fact, the top three scorers in this year's playoffs are Penguins: Crosby and his two linemates, Phil Kessel (7-13-20 points) and former King Marian Gaborik (5-12-17 points). The Pittsburgh top line will be the fastest and most skilled the Kings have faced.

Not to be forgotten of course, is Evgeni Malkin (6-10-16 points) on Pittsburgh's second line. The supporting cast surrounding the Penguins' superstars - Chris Kunitz, Nick Bonino, Kris Letang, Patric Hornqvist, etc. - also cannot be overlooked. As usual, however, the success of the Kings' opponent will likely be measured by their goaltender's ability to outperform Jonathan Quick. The Kings' goalie enters the Final as the favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy: a 12-4 record and an incredible 1.07 GAA, an even more incredible .961 save percentage, and five shutouts, including two in a row to eliminate the St. Louis Blues. Obviously the Kings' offensive numbers do not match up with Pittsburgh's - the Penguins have five players with more points than Anze Kopitar's team-leading 12 for Los Angeles, a byproduct of winning so many 1-0 and 2-1 games for LA. But just as Los Angeles will have to bear down to slow the Penguins' blazing speed, so too will Pittsburgh have to find the combination to crack the safe to the Kings' defense, and of course, Jonathan Quick. The Penguins have a fearsome power play that comes at you in waves with Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, Gaborik, and Letang, but the Los Angeles penalty kill is at 97.7% for the postseason - they have killed 43 out of 44 penalties through the first three rounds.

[Psyblast]

Stanley Cup Final - Game 1

Staples Center	1	2	3	OT	F
	0	2	0	-	2
	1	0	0	-	1

Penguins lead series, 1-0

LA's offense sputters to open the Final
Another 2-1 score, but Los Angeles is on the losing side this time


The Penguins broke Jonathan Quick's shutout streak, and then took a lead they would not relinquish

Pittsburgh Penguins at Los Angeles Kings
May 26, 2017 1 2 3 F 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 1 Three Stars Marc-Andre Fleury, G 24 saves, .960 SV% Jonathan Quick, G 24 saves, .923 SV% Chris Kunitz, LW 1 G, 0 A, 1 hit	Team Stats Comparison Shots on Goal 26 25 Hits 7 19 Faceoffs Won-Lost 14 23 Penalty Minutes 5:00 7:00 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 1 0 Time on Attack 6:17 10:36
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD Doughty, 3 (Martinez, Kopitar), 2:30 SECOND PERIOD Hornqvist, 5 (Bennett, Malkin), 4:36 Kunitz, 6 (Pouliot, Bonino), 19:20

[Psyblast]

Stanley Cup Final - Game 2

Staples Center	1	2	3	OT	F
	0	1	1	-	2
	0	1	0	-	1

Penguins lead series, 2-0

Red alert for Los Angeles
Kings headed to Pittsburgh down 0-2 after another offensive dud in Game 2


The Kings pulled Quick for a 6-on-4 in the final 1:20, but couldn't get the equalizer past Fleury

Pittsburgh Penguins at Los Angeles Kings
May 28, 2017 1 2 3 F 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 Three Stars Marc-Andre Fleury, G 28 saves, .966 SV% Jonathan Quick, G 28 saves, .933 SV% Marian Gaborik, LW GWG	Team Stats Comparison Shots on Goal 30 29 Hits 19 24 Faceoffs Won-Lost 23 39 Penalty Minutes 8:00 4:00 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 2 4 Time on Attack 7:35 10:27
Scoring Summary SECOND PERIOD Wilson, 2 (Pouliot, Gomez), 2:09 Staal, 4 (Horton, Lucic), 6:21 THIRD PERIOD Gaborik, 6 (Kessel), 3:50

[Psyblast]

Stanley Cup Final - Game 3

Consol Energy Center	1	2	3	OT	F
	2	1	2	-	5
	0	0	0	-	0

Penguins lead series, 2-1

A championship response from Los Angeles
With their dynasty on the line, the Kings crush the Penguins in Game 3


Martin Hanzal got on the board in the Stanley Cup Final with a shorthanded goal

Los Angeles Kings at Pittsburgh Penguins
May 30, 2017 1 2 3 F 2 1 2 5 0 0 0 0 Three Stars Jonathan Quick, G 24 saves, 1.000 SV% Anze Kopitar, C 0 G, 2 A, 2 hits Colton Parayko, D 0 G, 2 A	Team Stats Comparison Shots on Goal 41 24 Hits 15 16 Faceoffs Won-Lost 27 14 Penalty Minutes 6:00 4:00 Power Plays Converted 2 0 Power Play Opportunities 2 3 Time on Attack 12:16 6:51
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD Carter, 3 (Kopitar, Parayko) (PP), 9:11 Hanzal, 2 (Kopitar) (SH), 12:30 SECOND PERIOD Toffoli, 3 (Staal, Muzzin) (PP), 19:52 THIRD PERIOD Kempe, 2 (unassisted), 11:47 Boyle, 1 (Parayko), 19:27

[Psyblast]

Stanley Cup Final - Game 4

Consol Energy Center	1	2	3	OT	F
	2	1	0	-	3
	2	0	0	-	2

Series tied, 2-2

Kopitar's moment arrives
Los Angeles's leader sends the Final back to California tied at 2


In between shadowing Sidney Crosby all over the ice, Kopitar found the time to score twice in Game 4

Los Angeles Kings at Pittsburgh Penguins
Jun 1, 2017 1 2 3 F 2 1 0 3 2 0 0 2 Three Stars Marc-Andre Fleury, G 50 saves, .943 SV% Anze Kopitar, C 2 G, 0 A Colton Parayko, D 1 G, 1 A, 4 hits	Team Stats Comparison Shots on Goal 53 20 Hits 21 15 Faceoffs Won-Lost 37 15 Penalty Minutes 16:00 18:00 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 4 3 Time on Attack 13:08 5:24
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD Parayko, 4 (Hanzal), 2:53 Gaborik, 7 (Dumoulin, Lovejoy), 3:46 Malkin, 7 (Hornqvist, Bennett), 13:59 Kopitar, 6 (Parayko, Muzzin) (PP), 17:12 SECOND PERIOD Kopitar, 7 (Carter, Toffoli), 3:58

[Psyblast]

Stanley Cup Final - Game 5

Staples Center	1	2	3	OT	F
	0	0	1	-	1
	1	3	1	-	5

Kings lead series, 3-2

Kings close in on immortality
Los Angeles leaves no doubt in the crucial Game 5; history awaits in Pittsburgh?


Carter scored twice as the Kings whipped the Staples Center into a frenzy

Pittsburgh Penguins at Los Angeles Kings
Jun 3, 2017 1 2 3 F 0 0 1 1 1 3 1 5 Three Stars Jeff Carter, LW 2 G, 0 A, 2 hits Tyler Toffoli, RW 1 G, 1 A, 1 hit Jordan Staal, C 0 G, 2 A, 2 hits	Team Stats Comparison Shots on Goal 19 52 Hits 10 21 Faceoffs Won-Lost 14 36 Penalty Minutes 18:00 12:00 Power Plays Converted 0 1 Power Play Opportunities 1 4 Time on Attack 4:54 10:40
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD Doughty, 4 (Staal), 13:32 SECOND PERIOD Carter, 4 (Toffoli), 0:37 Carter, 5 (Kopitar), 14:36 Lucic, 5 (Horton), 18:38 THIRD PERIOD Toffoli, 4 (Staal, Parayko) (PP), 5:22 Bennett, 3 (Malkin, Dumoulin), 6:36