The NHL Playoffs continue tonight with the Western Conference Semifinals matchup between the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings. The game is scheduled for a 10:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on the NBC Sports Network. Currently the odds for the game have the Kings favored by a slight margin.
It's an all West Coast conference semis between the Kings and the Sharks. Both teams were able to clinch their playoff series in pretty easy fashion. The Ducks somehow swept the Vancouver Canucks in four games while the Kings were able to take down the St. Louis Blues in six games.
San Jose captain Joe Thornton has certainly been through the NHL playoff battles during his time. While he's getting older he still plays at a high level. The Kings' captain Dustin Brown will be looking to lead his team past the Sharks in this second round and get the Kings back to the conference finals.
This matchup is going to be a fun one to watch. The Kings have talent, yes, but overall they are a very gritty team that is physical and plays a very contact-oriented game. San Jose has a lot of talent as well and has several finesse guys. They also have their physical players but overall don't carry the same style of play that the Kings will in this series. The contrasting styles will be going back and forth in this one. The team that imposes their will more often will win tonight's game and the series.
Anze Kopitar struggled of the most part this season, tallying only 10 goals on the season. Don't sleep on him, however, as he'll be looking to get back into the scoring column quickly.
A San Jose win in this series would put them in the Western Conference Finals for the third time in four seasons. Patrick Marleau, Scott Hannan and Brad Stuart all played for Kings' coach Darryl Sutter wile he was in San Jose. There's certainly some connections there that could have a barring on this series.
Goaltending will obviously be huge. The Kings' Jonathan Quick is regarded as the best overall goalie in the league right now and has the playoff experience to go with that claim. Antti Niemi of the Sharks also has a Stanley Cup under his belt, hoisting the Cup during the 2009-10 Finals with the Chicago Blackhawks, who beat the Philadelphia Flyers. Niemi won a league-high 24 games in the pipes this season.
This series is going to be a good one and the team that plays better defense is going to win. In tonight's game we like the Sharks to continue riding that playoff high, having not lost yet in the post season. The Kings had a physical series against the Blues while the Sharks come in rested and ready to go.
Free Pick: Sharks 3, Kings 2
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