Dynasties in the NHL have become dinosaurs.
The Los Angeles Kings are trying to turn the clock back to the prehistoric era by winning multiple Stanley Cup championships.
The Kings may have a long way to go, but they have played a complete game and gotten sensational goaltending from Jonathan Quick to survive the first two rounds of the playoffs.
The San Jose Sharks were a most worthy adversary for the defending Stanley Cup champions. They won all their home games and pushed the conference semifinal series to the limit. They were hard on the puck throughout the seventh game, but they found themselves in a deep hole going into the third period because Justin Williams had scored two second-period goals.
The Sharks got on the board when Dan Boyle blasted one in from the blue line, but it wasn't enough. Quick simply wouldn't allow it.
Perhaps his best save came late in the third period when Joe Pavelski fished a puck out of his skates and got it on his forehand as Quick struggled to get in position. Pavelski fired a low shot, and Quick stuck out his glove and caught it.
If Pavelski could have lifted the puck eight inches higher, the Sharks would have pushed the seventh game into overtime.
When you are talking about a dynasty, the Kings have a chance to build what passes for one in the current era. They are halfway to repeating, and if they end up playing the Chicago Blackhawks, the NHL's best regular-season team, in the Western Conference Finals, they have the goods to break hearts in the Windy City.
If they get through the Blackhawks (or the Detroit Red Wings), they would go into the Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins or Boston Bruins as the underdogs.
That's a position that the Kings like to be in. They have won their last five playoff series when their opponent has the home-ice advantage.
Prior to last year's Cup run, th...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
