The Vegas Golden Knights have been on a roll recently. They're 6-0-1 since the new bench boss (you know who) stepped on the scene, igniting a flame stowed deep within the Golden Knights. The team is attacking the net more and is seeing improved goaltending, making them *GASP* a Stanley Cup contender.
However, a divisional rival has followed a similar route. Of course, I'm talking about the Los Angeles Kings, who've rattled off five straight wins. Suddenly, they're creeping up on the Utah Mammoth and the Anaheim Ducks, who are trying to hold onto their respective positions.
Yes, even Golden Knights fans should take note of this drastic uprising. That's especially true with history telling us of how blazing teams fare well in the Stanley Cup playoffs. One perfect example of this? The Los Angeles Kings.
Let's look back a decade and a half to see how a Southern California team set the hockey world ablaze. What can the Golden Knights learn from this, should they face Los Angeles in the first round? Could the Kings be a potential problem for Vegas, should the two teams meet up in the Stanley Cup playoffs?
Looking back at the 2012 Stanley Cup run—and how a former Golden Knight led the charge
Before retiring this week, former Golden Knights netminder Jonathan Quick made his name with the Los Angeles Kings. Aside from being the winningest American-born goaltender in NHL history, the Conn Smythe winner had an incredible run in 2012.
He posted a GAA of 1.41 and a save percentage of .946, adding three shutouts to the mix. The result? The Los Angeles Kings bring home their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, establishing themselves within the annals of NHL history. Not only that, but they did it as an eighth seed. How crazy is that?
While the NHL's seeding structure is vastly... different, the Golden Knights still can't sleep on this current iteration. Players like Artemi Panarin are on the Kings, making life much more difficult. While Los Angeles doesn't have Quick in his prime, they still have a sound defensive structure and stable goaltending (2.89 team GAA, fifth-best in the NHL).
What the Vegas Golden Knights can do to stop the Los Angeles Kings in a potential playoff matchup
While the Kings are great at stopping pucks from getting in the net, the offensive side of things are much dicier. Los Angeles is 29th in the NHL in goals scored per game (2.70). Not only that, but the power play has also been poor, ranking 28th in the NHL this season (17.3%).
If the Golden Knights' netminding keeps running on its current trends, that bodes well for the team here. Carter Hart has a GAA of 1.80 and a save percentage of .925 in April. Part of that has been under Tortorella, who's encouraged the team to become more aggressive and fiery.
That alone could play in favor of the Golden Knights in a potential playoff series. Vegas has more head-coaching experience on its bench, which can help it win. Just look at Bruce Cassidy last season, when he dealt with a blazing attack from Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov.
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