Monday, January 28, 2013
LA's biggest strength?
By Luke Lapinski
The Los Angeles Kings were clearly firing on all cylinders when they took home the Stanley Cup last season. Jonathan Quick delivered a memorable season, the defense in front of him punished the opposition whenever they got near the goal and the offense -- which struggled mightily at times during the regular season -- came together when it mattered most.
One stat, in particular, may very well stand out more than any other when looking at the Kings' success though. During last year's title run, they were 9-0 when leading after two periods in the playoffs. And, during the regular season, they were 28-0-6 in that same scenario. What's more, they're now 84-1-10 since the beginning of the 2009-10 campaign when leading at the 40-minute mark. That speaks not only to Quick's ability to get stronger as the game goes on, but also the overall mentality of the team as a whole to tighten things up and put games away. And, considering this year's lineup is nearly identical to the one they put on the ice a year ago, that doesn't figure to change a whole lot anytime soon.
