Kings vs. Ducks: 3 things you need to know

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Bruins vs. Canadiens

On Wednesday night the Los Angeles Kings rolled the San Jose Sharks 5-1 in Game 7 of their opening round Stanley Cup playoff series to advance to the second round. In doing so, the Kings became just the fourth team in NHL history, and just the second team since 1975, to comeback from a 3-0 playoff series deficit to win.  

The Kings now have just two days off to recover from a grueling heavyweight tilt in their first round series. The Ducks, meanwhile, have been cooling their heals since eliminating the Dallas Stars last Sunday; they'll be the more rested side when the Battle of Los Angeles gets underway this weekend. 

What better time than here? What better time than now? 

Here are three things that you need to know about this series.

Caged and frozen

A major subplot of Los Angeles' improbable, stunning comeback in the first round was the poor play of Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi, and the over-reaction to coach Todd McLellan to Niemi's struggles. Niemi wasn't good, but the Sharks essentially squandered a kick at the "eliminate L.A. can" by starting an untested goaltender in Alex Stalock in Game 6.

Now the Kings, who employ playoff superstar and U.S. Olympian Jonathan Quick, will advance to face another team with unsettled questions in the blue paint. Ducks starter Frederik Andersen wasn't good in the first round against Dallas, as the Danish rookie allowed 18 goals against on just 166 shots faced. Jonas Hiller, meanwhile, has fallen way out of favor in Orange County.

Might the Ducks turn to extraordinary 20-year-old netminder John Gibson if Andersen's and Hiller's struggles continue? That it's even a relevant question tells you all you need to know about which team has the edge in goal in this series...

Who controls the past now controls the future

In the season matchup between the Ducks and the Kings, Anaheim managed to take nine of a possible ten points; amassing a 4-0-1 record in the season series. But if you peel back beneath the surface record a bit, it becomes rather clear that this Kings team has the ability to throttle the Ducks in a first round series.

Take the head-to-head marquee matchup between Ryan Getzlaf and Anze Kopitar, for example. In nearly 30 minutes of even-strength ice-time with Getlzaf on the ice against Kopitar, Anaheim managed to control just 24.5% of shot attempts. That's an insane level of dominance by the top-end of Los Angeles' roster.

It should also be noted that the Kings appear to have found an additional gear after the acquisition of Marian Gaborik at the NHL trade deadline. In two post-deadline contests between the Kings and the Ducks, Anaheim was outshot 68 to 44. 

Record aside, the Kings' demonstrated ability to control games against Anaheim all year long doesn't bode well for the Ducks in this second round Stanley Cup playoff series...

Found your weakness (it's right outside your door)

Here's the major reason why an Anaheim, Los Angeles series is probably going to be more lopsided than the seeding might indicate: what the Kings excel at, which is controlling games by dominating the territorial play, the Ducks do inconsistently, at best. 

Here's a rolling 10-game even-strength unblocked shot differential chart per extraskater.com for the Anaheim Ducks:

That's essentially what an inconsistent puck possession team looks like: hovering around 50% all season and ticking up only after the return of Stephane Robidas from injury (Robidas has since been lost for the season though).

The Kings, in contrast, often flirted with controlling 60% of unblocked shot attempts this season. Note: the blue dot in the chart below represents Gaborik's first game with the Kings:

[Courtesy extraskater.com]

The Ducks have the forward depth to perhaps take advantage of some of Los Angeles' less effective bottom-pairing defenders, but overall the Ducks are over-matched where it counts in this series. 

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