Postmortem: Los Angeles Kings

Yes, once again it's time to dissect the season of one of the newly departed. The Los Angeles Kings finally had their series winning streak snapped when they fell in the Western Conference Final. Let's take a look at how the season went wrong for the 2013 edition of the Kings.

LA made the fewest off-season changes of any team in the league, and it's no surprise really. No reason to change the chemistry of a team that had just dominated it's way to the franchise's first Stanley Cup victory in 2012. With suffocating defense, outstanding goaltending and timely scoring, the Kings were considered by many to be a model playoff team that others around the league wanted to emulate.

Just like last year they had a solid, if unspectacular regular season.
They finished 5th in the conference, an improvement over last year, playing the same style that won them a championship the year before. The defense was good, allowing the 6th fewest goals against in the West, and their home record was spectacular. They lost only 4 games on home ice during the regular season. However there were some dark spots, such as their 7-13-4 record away from Staples Center. Their inability to win a game on the road would come back to haunt them in the playoffs.

Anze Kopitar again led the team in scoring with 42 points in 47 games, while Justin Williams (33 points), Jeff Carter (26 goals) and Mike Richards (32 points) all had solid seasons. However there was another concern heading into the playoffs, the goaltending of Jonathan Quick.

Quick, the 2012 Conn Smythe winner as MVP of the playoffs was simply awful in the regular season. With a 2.45 goals against average and a mediocre .902 save percentage, Quick wasn't anywhere close to the same goalie he was the previous spring. Many hoped that he would turn it around when the playoffs started.

Many were right to hope so.

During the Kings first round series against St. Louis, Quick was excellent, allowing only 10 goals in the 6 game series victory. The Kings lost the first two games in St. Louis which, given their road record this year, was no great surprise. Then Quick turned it on, getting a 30 save shutout victory in game three which was the start of a six game winning streak. LA dispatched the Blues in 6 games and moved on to face state rival San Jose.

For the first time in decades, the Kings had home ice advantage in round two against the Sharks, and it worked perfectly in their favour. The series went the distance, all seven games, and the home team won each of them. Quick was especially spectacular against the Sharks, only allowing four goals in their four victories, and ten overall. The difficult regular season was forgotten and Quick was once against at the top of the Conn Smythe Trophy race. It looked like the Kings were on their way back, only one more obstacle stood in their way: the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Final.

The Blackhawks were the class of the NHL this year, finishing first overall and winning the President's trophy, but the Kings showed they could compete with them in game one, losing narrowly 2-1. In game two, things started to fall apart, Quick was pulled after allowing all four goals in a 4-2 loss, the first time he had allowed more than three goals all post-season.

LA would win game three at home, but it would be their last victory of the season, as Chicago was able to take the next two and eliminate the Kings in only five games. Just as in the regular season, the difference between their home and road records is ultimately what undid them. 8-1 at home, 1-8 on the road, a terrible record that no team can sustain if they want to win the Cup.

So what does the offseason hold for the Kings? Likely again there will be very little change. Despite being eliminated by a clearly superior Chicago team, LA remains one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Their top 9 forwards are all signed through next season, with Dustin Penner the only notable UFA. The defense also seems unlikely to change much, as number one Drew Doughty is singed for six more seasons, newly acquired Robyn Regher signed a new contract and the young emerging core of Slava Voynov, Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin all look like they will get new contracts. It'll be a bit of a balancing act with about 12 million to spend under next year's cap, but general manager Dean Lombardi should be able to get it done.

However in goal, there may be a question mark. Quick's pedestrian regular season is some cause for concern, but he is their franchise goalie and isn't going anywhere. The question will be at the back-up position where young Jonathan Bernier will need a new contract. The 24 year old is one of the brightest young goaltending stars in the league, and if he wants to assume a larger role, it won't be in LA. I think it's very likely we see his rights traded sometime between now and free agency, though the Kings would surely love to keep him if they could.

The Kings remain in the upper echelon of teams in the NHL. With a plethora of grit, a strong defensive system employed by coach Darryl Sutter and a franchise goaltender in the form of Jonathan Quick, the Kings should continue to be contenders for years to come. If only they can win more than a game or two on the road.