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Health & Fitness

Why the Los Angeles Kings Are the Team to Beat

A look at the most dangerous team left, the Los Angeles Kings.

In the NHL's long and storied history, never has there been a No. 8 seed in either conference to win a Stanley Cup. There have been a few close calls, notably the 2006 Edmonton Oilers being a game away.

After years of No. 8 seeds being rejected and doubted, the 2011-12 Los Angeles Kings team looks like the team poised to end this drought. With loads of young talent—namely defenseman Drew Doughty and forwards Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Mike Richards, and Jeff Carter—the Kings present an equal balance of young talent and experience, a formula far too deadly that any other 8-seed would imagine.

Propelling of off an improbable five-game upset over the league's regular season champion Vancouver Canucks, the Kings have a 3-0 series lead over another young squad, the St. Louis Blues. Should the Kings survive this series, it shouldn't be a surprise to anybody if they lift Lord Stanley's Cup in June.

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The Kings were never really the offensive team, but with their core lineup turning it on in the playoffs, along with consistent stellar play from Vezina hopeful Jonathan Quick, the Los Angeles Kings are no longer underdogs, but a force to be reckoned with.

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