The Road of Success

| Apr 19, 2010 | Comments 0

If anyone feels that the Los Angeles Kings did not accomplish something in their first two playoff games against the Vancouver Canucks, they thought wrong.

Taking the series back to Hockeywood, LA all tied up at one means that the Kings are doing more than many might have expected.

The obstacles that the Kings had in front of them have been avoided. With only two games of playoff experience under their belts, Anze Kopitar, Alexander Frolov, Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson, Drew Doughty, Wayne Simmonds and Jonathan Quick have all stepped their game up, especially in game 2 and have knotted this series up at one game a piece with the Vancouver Canucks.

Aside from one shaky goal against, what can be said about Kings netminder Jon Quick. He has been stellar, that is what.

Los Angeles Kings vs Vancouver Canucks - Game Two

Quick, along with Doughty, has been one of the standout performers for this Kings club.  Something that was truly important when heading into this first round playoff series.

When the doubters all had the Kings down and out, they have, to this point in the series, proven them all wrong.

Even if the Kings do not escape from this first round series, what you have witnessed over the course of the first two games becomes a marker on the map for the Kings.  The experience they are learning this year will carry them even further next year.

In his first two playoff games ever, Jonathan Quick has posted some fantastic numbers.  Those numbers, a 2.21 goals against average along with a save percentage of .929 shows just how important Quick has been to his club all season long.

When you are able to match, or play above the way you played all season long heading into the playoffs, it shows true maturity. And no matter what the outcome is, whether the Kings advance or not, they are gaining experience in a season that many will never get no matter how long a career they have in this league.  This, alone, will help the franchise mature into next season.

Tonight, the Kings will play their first home playoff game in eight years.  The Staples Center is ready to reach capacity in both fan attendance as well as noise levels.

The fire that will spark under the team from the home crowd is something that will give everyone out in Hockeywood, LA the chills.  In what is already an entertaining series, the Kings can take it to the next level tonight.

A win on home ice presents a huge opportunity for the Kings to truly take control of the series now that it has shifted back to Los Angeles.

Game 3 drops the puck at  7:00 p.m. PST, 10:00 p.m. EST.

As always, you can e-mail me at ACHockeyGuys@gmail.com and be sure to follow me on twitter:  @HockeyGuy_AC
Enjoy the game.

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Filed Under: Los Angeles Kings • NHL • NHL Teams • Western Conference

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About the Author: Anthony Curatolo is a 31 y/o New Yorker with a passion for the game that takes him into a different category then the regular run of the mill fan. He has an intense, creative, witty style that will either have you love him or hate him within the first paragraph you read from one of his writings. Growing up in a hockey world (his father was raised in Montreal, and his father brought that passion with him into the States) was a blessing in disguise for Anthony. Hockey has become more then a passion and infatuation for, and he hopes to one day have a career within the sport. Picked up originally by the Checking Line (from guest blogs written for HockeyBuzz), Anthony began blogging on a daily basis. When his original site, the checking line, went down the writing passion started to fall off. A few years later, Crash the Crease was born and Anthony was approached and asked to write for them. Since that time (August '08), Anthony has become a panel member on the websites Sunday talk show, as well as branching off and forming 1/3 of the talk show team called "The Hockey Guys!" Now Anthony takes his mind and his writings to the next level as he begins his journey with Hockey Independent and asks that there are many that join him. The Kings are the team, the style is Independent and the game is Hockey - there is nothing better in the universe. Although his pride bleeds for the Orange and Black (yes folks, the Philadelphia Flyers) Anthony is also a FAN of the game, and has knowledge for all 30 teams within the league coming from his true, pure love for the sport in it's entirety. As a voice of a fan for the fans (as we all know is the "Crash the Crease" and "The Hockey Guys" slogans) there will be debate, controversy, praise and love all combined into one giant thing - blogs by Anthony.

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