Sleeksays

LA Kings (10-10-3) @ Phoenix Coyotes (10-11-2) 6:30 PST, Fox Sports West Last night the Kings were leading, 1-0, going into the 3rd period. They hadn't played particularly well, but had used a fast start to gain an advantage on the scoreboard. During the 2nd intermission, Terry Murray stressed the importance of not taking a penalty because the Kings had just been given a 5-on-3 (which of course they didn't score on) late in the 2nd. The very first shift of the 3rd period, Sean O'Donnell carried the puck up ice and attempted to pass it out of his own zone. Unfortunately, he bounced it off a Toronto player and then hooked another Toronto player that was attempting to skate the puck into the zone. Penalty, Sean O'Donnell. The penalty was exacerbated by an unfortunate Dustin Brown trip and the Maple Leafs scored on the two-man advantage. Way to go, Sean. Still, the Kings were tied and only had to kill off the rest of Dustin Brown's penalty. O'Donnell was re...

That's the question heading into this season. It's reasonable to say that 4/5 Pacific teams could win it (sorry Kings, but enjoy your complimentary fruit basket!). With that in mind, let's take a quick look at the three big dogs and the sweaty dark horse in the sun. Naturally, leave your predictions and dissenting opinions in the comments. San Jose Sharks Most years, these media darlings are the team to beat on paper. This year? You get the feeling that people are starting to sour on the Teal force. It's crazy just how much this team changed in the last couple years. There's still some solid youth on the team, but the parallels to those "fuck the future I want it now" Colorado Avalanche teams are pretty damning. (They even have Rob Blake ) Still, that team did win two Cups before they devolved into a glorified vehicle for the annual Peter Forsberg saga. 10 of his 14 goals last year were game winners ... seriously. The thing that makes this team so diffic...