Western Conference Quarterfinal

 

Season Series (Los Angeles 5-3-0)

 

Leading Scorers
  • RW Jaromir Jagr (82 GP, 34 G, 47 A, 81 PTS)
  • C Rod Brind'Amour (80 GP, 18 G, 57 A, 75 PTS)
  • RW Pascal Dupuis (82 GP, 26 G, 42 A, 68 PTS)
  • LW Martin Straka (82 GP, 26 G, 40 A, 66 PTS)
  • LW Alexander Frolov (82 GP, 35 G, 25 A, 60 PTS)
  • RW Maxim Afinogenov (82 GP, 24 G, 43 A, 67 PTS)
  • LW Mike York (81 GP, 25 G, 41 A, 66 PTS)
  • D Dan Boyle (82 GP, 12 G, 46 A, 58 PTS)
  • LW Petr Schastlivy (81 GP, 26 G, 27 A, 53 PTS)
  • C Oleg Kvasha (82 GP, 19 G, 33 A, 52 PTS)

 

Special Teams
  • Power Play - 20.6 % (1st in NsHL)
  • Penalty Kill - 88.7 % (3rd in NsHL)
  • Power Play - 12.9 % (27th in NsHL)
  • Penalty Kill - 87.2 % (5th in NsHL)

 

Keys to the Series

LOS ANGELES KINGS

  • Roberto Luongo and Jaromir Jagr. Big things were expected from this club a year ago, and neither played well in their opening round loss to Edmonton. Luongo will need to improve on his 3.12 goals against and .893 save percentage. The Kings will also need more than a single goal from Jagr. Star players have to be just that in the playoffs, and the Kings will be looking for much better production this time around.
  • Power play. Yes, the Kings had the best power play in the league this year. Yes, the Kings had four players with five or more power play goals. That said, they will be facing a very stingy Dallas squad. The Los Angeles power play is going to be called upon to produce in this series, as the Stars are among the best defensive teams in the league. If the Kings power play doesn't put pucks in the net, this could be a rough go for LA.
  • Second chances. Mathieu Garon has proven himself to be a quality goalie in Dallas, and the Stars play a tight defensive game. The Kings are going to have to battle for rebounds and loose pucks around the net to generate more scoring chances. Should the Kings find themselves working the perimeter in this series, the Stars will be in good shape.

DALLAS STARS

  • Discipline. Not only does this apply to not spending time in the box, but the Stars also must play their game. Obviously you don't want to take many penalties when your opponent holds the top power play unit in the game. Not only must the Stars stay out of the box, but they must stick with what got them here. They are not a flashy team, and they can't get caught trading rushes with Los Angeles.
  • Dan Boyle. You'd have a tough time finding a player who means more to his club in the playoffs. Not only does Boyle have to shut down Jagr and company, but he has to be an offensive catalyst for Dallas as well. That's an awful lot to ask of a single player. Boyle will be playing a lot, and he will have to shine at both ends for Dallas to move on.
  • Special teams. Not only do the Kings sport the top power play in the league, they were third best killing penalties as well. Dallas can match the Los Angeles PK, but their power play was dismal this season. The Stars don't have a lot of offensive punch, but they are going to need to score a few power play goals to win this series.

 

And the winner is...

What do the Stars have to lose? All the pressure is firmly on the Kings in this series. The Stars had an amazing finish just to get this far. The Kings are expected to challenge for the Cup. Again, special teams will likely decide who wins this series. With that in mind...

Kings in five games.