GLENDALE, Ariz. -- How long have the Coyotes, Kings and media been waiting to start the Western Conference finals? Saturday’s press conference included questions involving Wikipedia, goalie fights and Ranger blood (no, Charlie Sheen was not in attendance).
"You get a little anxious," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett admitted. "We had a couple good days off. We had a hard practice day where you could tell the guys after that were like, 'OK, let's play now. Enough of that hard practice stuff.'"
Both teams will get their wish Sunday at Jobing.com Arena. While the Kings have been installed as favorites in the series after knocking off the top two seeds in the West, this is largely uncharted water for both franchises. And as Pacific Division opponents, these teams are intimately familiar with one another, leading to the belief that this will be a tight and long series.
Here are five storylines to watch that could determine the outcome.
GOALIES
Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick was arguably the best goaltender in the league this season, posting the fifth-best save percentage (.929) and the second-best goals-against average (1.95) while appearing in 69 games despite dealing with a Western Conference travel schedule that adds far more miles than Eastern Conference goalies face. Mike Smith faced that same brutal travel schedule and a league-high 30.84 shots per game but still stopped 93 percent of those shots (third in the NHL) while posting a 2.21 goals-against average. Both have been at the top of their games in the postseason. Will one crack?
5-ON-5 PLAY
Let’s be brutally honest here. The power plays for both teams stink. They both finished in the bottom half of the league during the regular season, and the Kings have been even worse in the postseason, converting on slightly more than 8 percent of their chances for four power-play tallies (the Coyotes have five). Making matters more difficult for these units is the fact both teams' penalty-killing units are among the best in the league, with the Kings already scoring four short-handed goals in the playoffs. What does that mean? It means that 5-on-5 play could be vital to the outcome. L.A. has outscored opponents 19-11 in 5-on-5 play, wihle the Coyotes have outscored opponents 24-17.
BAD BLOOD
Playing in the same division as an opponent not only breeds familiarity, it breeds contempt. That contempt peaked in a Feb. 16 game in which Kings captain Dustin Brown drilled Rusty Klesla, setting off four separate fights. In the final meeting of the regular season, which took place on Feb. 21, Kings forward Kyle Clifford’s boarding penalty on Gilbert Brulé helped the Coyotes tie the score late and eventually win in a shootout. "I certainly think it will be chippier," Coyotes winger Radim Vrbata said of the series. "Those games were tight, tough games. I think it will be the same in the playoffs."
NEW FACES
The Coyotes and Kings look largely the same as the teams that faced each other in that final meeting in late February. The Coyotes added only center Antoine Vermette at the trade deadline, while the Kings added center Jeff Carter. But both players have made an impact, as Vermette leads the Coyotes with five playoff goals (three on the power play) and nine points while Carter has four points and has solidified a second offensive line for the Kings.
ROAD WARRIORS
Los Angeles is 5-0 on the road in the postseason. Phoenix is 4-1. Those are the two best road records in the playoffs. Either one team will learn to protect its home ice or the majority of fans in these arenas are going to head home in foul moods.
