5/23/13: Some may say that the Kings were lucky to survive the St. Louis Blues in the first round. The Blues may be the most physical team in the league and they have spectacular goaltending to back them up. But the Kings won the series and now are up 2-1 on the San Jose Sharks. L.A. is the superior team, despite similar records. They have better goaltending and are more physical - which is key in playoff hockey. To win the series, the Kings do not have to change a thing. They simply have to outcheck and outwork the Sharks - as well as take their offensive chances as they come about. Bold prediction: Kings in 6 games.

5/16/13: The Kings continued their playoff success by defeating the St. Louis Blues 4 games to 2. L.A. came in as the fifth seed, and the teams are so evenly matched that this cannot be considered an upset. The series was tremendously physical with few goals scored by either side. The goaltending from both Johnathan Quick and St. Louis' Brian Elliot was outstanding and every game was a one goal affair that could have gone either way. The Kings rallied from two games down to take the next four. On deck for the Kings is a fierce rival in San Jose.

Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup Finals Tickets

They're back! After a late-season surge in 2012 positioned the Los Angeles Kings for their first ever Stanley Cup Finals victory, the team returned in 2013 with the hopes of making their qualification for the playoffs a bit more comfortable than last year's. So, rather than barely making it in as a No. 8 seed, the LA Kings worked their way up in the latter half of the 2013 NHL season to a rather comfortable No. 5 seed. While they still didn't have a series home-ice advantage at the Staples Center, the Kings relied on their recent grit and experience to make it through the first round, ending the St. Louis Blues' season for a second straight year.

At the core of the Los Angeles Kings' success is still goalie Jonathon Quick. While his 2013 campaign hasn't looked quite like his Conn Smythe award-winning performance through last season's Stanley Cup Finals, he continues to consistently keep his team in games until the very end. The Los Angeles Kings have a mix of talented defensemen and grinding forwards who persistently press the opposition into making a mistake. Given the increased intensity of the playoffs, it'll take a full series of strong will, timely scoring, and good luck for anyone to unseat the current Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings.

Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup Finals Run

The LA Kings' Stanley Cup Finals run in 2012 was something to be seen, with dominating series performances leading them to the Western Conference title. This season, they have a better seed, but the Los Angeles Kings will still need to perform well on the road because they'll probably never have home-ice advantage at the Staples Center in any NHL Playoff series.

Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup Finals Highlights

In 2012, the Los Angeles Kings entered the NHL Playoffs as a No. 8 seed and proceeded to mow through the Western Conference to the Stanley Cup Finals in unprecedented fashion. They captured the Cup by defeating the New Jersey Devils behind the stellar play of goalie Jonathon Quick and a deep, determined core of forwards and defensemen.