Western Conference Final: Phoenix Coyotes v. Los Angeles Kings

And there were four! First off it's a Pacific Division battle between the Phoenix Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings. Man the Pacific Division really sucks this year right? Alright let's get into this bad boy.


Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes are obviously one of the biggest surprises in the post-season. They won their division (1st time in franchise history), they made it into the second round (1st time in Coyotes history) and now they're in the Western Conference finals (1st time in franchise history). I think there's a trend here. 

Los Angeles Kings 
The LA Kings have been making some history of their own as well. This Kings team is the first in franchise history to sweep a series. They're also the first ever eight seed to beat the number one and number two seeds.  Maybe the NHL should of stuck with it's theme "History will be made" eh?
 

"Yea I have a description of the vehicle. It's an 83 ummm..sheepdog."

This match-up promises to be a tough and close battle. Two divisional rivals, who quite frankly don't like each other, will battle hard for the chance to play in the Stanley Cup finals. The games will no doubt be goaltending duels, with two of the best goalies in the league between the pipes. 

 "I expected the Rocky Mountains to be a little rockier."

"Yea that John Denver is really full of shit."

The Coyotes have proven they can shut down highly skilled forwards, and Mike Smith has proven himself to be among the elite in the league. While on the other end of the ice the Kings have thoroughly outplayed higher ranked teams and Jonathan Quick has lived up to his Vezina nomination. These two teams will be pretty evenly matched, and this may prove to be the toughest series yet for both teams. 

"Can I see your license and registration, Meow."

I for one think this series is going to be a lot of fun to watch (no not just because I'm a Kings fan). Both teams are great defensively, but they play highly underrated offensive games as well. The Coyotes have some great skilled forwards like Whitney, Boedker and Hanzal. Sure you may not have heard of all of them, but trust me they can put the puck in the net. The Kings have also been on a tear offensively since acquiring Jeff Carter. Most of their forwards seem to be hot, or at least heating up, at the same time. If Carter and Williams start to really pick things up, it can be a scary thing for any team they face. While many assume this series will be low scoring (and it may be), there is definitely a chance you'll see a lot of scoring as well.

 

Prediction

The Coyotes try to pull over than damn sheepdog van, but somehow they elude them. I think they took an exit wrong or something, dumb Kings.