NHL Playoffs: Coyotes, Kings Are Ready To Drop the Puck

The Phoenix Coyotes have never gone this deep into the post-season, on either side of the border. The Los Angeles Kings have been in this position once before — in 1993, when the great Wayne Gretzky captained the team. It’s an unlikely matchup, both of these clubs chasing the NHL’s Western Conference championship and the right to go to the Stanley Cup. But here they are, ready to get it on this Sunday.

When looking at the results in this season’s playoffs, there’s not much to choose from here: both teams have displayed great goaltending, timely scoring and the strength to prevail. On paper, things also look about the same.

L.A. and Phoenix are well-matched in one important respect: the guys between the pipes. Mike Smith and Jonathan Quick have performed better than anyone would expect. Both had fine regular seasons, and have made exceptional contributions to the post-season effort. In fact, it’s doubtful the Coyotes could have come this far without Smith’s outstanding work. As for Quick, everyone knows what he’s done to help propel L.A. to eight wins in nine playoff games against the top two seeds in the league.

Phoenix also matches up well on size. They are dressing nine playoff forwards and defensemen who stand 6-foot-2 or taller, and only two of them weigh less than 200 pounds; the Kings have only seven such players. However, that doesn’t include captain Dustin Brown, who has played much larger than his 6-foot, 207-pound frame.

The Coyotes have outdone the Kings on the power play (16.1 percent versus a paltry 8.5) while L.A. has been slightly better at killing penalties (92.1 percent against 89.5). The Kings have played two fewer games than the Desert Dogs, yet have 32 more minutes in penalties. They need to stay out of the box to avoid giving Phoenix chances to score with the man advantage.

The biggest disparity between the two teams is post-season experience, particularly when it comes to the Finals. The Coyotes, as mentioned, have never been this far as a team and as individual players. In fact, only one — the ageless Ray Whitney (Carolina, 2006) — has a Cup championship to his credit.

The Kings have four — Justin Williams, Dustin Penner, Rob Scuderi and Colin Fraser — who have won Stanley Cup rings with other teams. That’s invaluable because they have been down this road before; they can help their teammates deal with the expectations and the pressure, both of which are heightened at this stage.

It’s a tough call, but I’m going to say the Kings will prevail in six games; I just see the Kings as having more depth on defense as well as more scoring depth. However, I also think that Mike Smith will steal a game or two. In my view, though, L.A. simply has the skill and the will to overcome what the Coyotes have to offer.