The Los Angeles Kings entered the 2011-12 season as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, but a poor start and a mediocre first half of the year put them in an intense playoff race during the final weeks of the regular season.
Thanks to the magnificent play of star goaltender Jonathan Quick, the Kings were able to overcome their offensive struggles and get into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. From that point on, the Kings became the first No. 8 to win the Stanley Cup, beating the top three seeds in the West en route to the team's first ever championship.
Even though they were an eighth seed, the Kings had the talent of a legitimate Stanley Cup contender—one who underachieved for most of the season. However, they did enter the playoffs as a sleeper, since their first-round opponent was the Presidents' Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks, who were also the defending conference champions.
This season's edition of the New York Rangers is becoming very similar to last year's Kings. The Blueshirts came into this season as the favorite among many to win the Eastern Conference, but an ...
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Article written by Nicholas Goss
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