SERIES PREVIEW: LA Kings, Vegas Golden Knights Set for Royal Rumble

The LA Kings and Golden Knights felt like a natural rivalry from the moment the NHL announced expansion into Las Vegas.
Los Angeles had taken part in annual preseason games in Sin City since the 1990s and made a major footprint in the area. The proximity of the two cities to each other made for an easy drive if both teams' fans wanted to go to games at the opposing arena. Perhaps most importantly, the Golden Knights were placed in the Kings' division, which meant the two teams would play several times during the season.
The fact that both will play each other in the opening round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs gives them a chance to make this rivalry even hotter and take it to a new level.
So which team will prevail in the showdown?
Let's take a look at the Kings-Golden Knights matchup and what to watch for in the coming weeks both on the ice and off the ice.

Vegas Offense vs. Kings' Defense

The Golden Knights scored 3.27 goals per-game this season, which ranked fifth in the NHL and second in the Western Conference.
On the other hand, the Kings were the top defense in the NHL, allowing just 2.46 goals per-game.
Golden Knights forward William Karlsson finished third in the Rocket Richard chase with 43 goals, and he and forward Jonathan Marchessault had 78 and 75 points respectively.
Overall, a total of four players from Vegas had 60 points or more and five players scored 22 goals or more.
From Feb. 9 onward, Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick posted a .925 save percentage and 2.33 goal-against average.

Furthermore, Los Angeles made a trade on Feb. 13 for defenseman Dion Phaneuf, which helped shore up its blue line.
From that point on, Los Angeles allowed 2.38 goals per-game.

Kings defenseman Drew Doughty is considered one of the top match-up blue liners in the NHL and captain Anze Kopitar won the 2016 Selke Trophy, given to the NHL's best defensive forward.
All in all, it's like
Quick and the Kings just hate giving up goals
.

…But Don't Forget LA's Offense

The Kings scored 2.89 goals per-game and were led by Kopitar, the league's seventh-leading scorer, who set career-highs with 92 points and 35 goals.
Dustin Brown's 61 points were a career-high.

Jeff Carter's 13 goals in 27 games put him on pace to score close to 40 goals over a full season.

Following Carter's return from injury on February 24, the Kings averaged for 3.10 per-game.
Over that same stretch, the Golden Knights averaged 2.62 goals per-game.
Doughty finished seventh among NHL defenseman with a career-high 60 points. In his last 18 games, he notched 17 points.

Both Doughty and Jake Muzzin (42 points) scored at a higher clip than Colin Miller, Vegas' top scoring defenseman who recorded 41 during the season.

Experienced Goaltenders

Since 2007-08, when Quick made his NHL debut, he has played the fourth-most playoff games among NHL goaltenders with 81. In the other crease, netminder Marc-Andre Fleury's 110 games rank second.
They have five Stanley Cups between them - Fleury won three with the Pittsburgh Penguins (one as a starter), while Quick has two with the Kings.
Outside of Matt Murray with the Penguins, no other goaltender in these playoffs has won a Stanley Cup as a starter.

Road-Tripping Fans

The road from STAPLES Center to T-Mobile Arena - and vice-versa - is only 266 miles, depending on which road you take and how your GPS re-routes you for traffic.
It's the shortest distance between two teams in first-round of the Western Conference playoffs - the next closest being the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, which are 366 miles apart.
The lack of mileage between the two cities and the fact that they're both great places to visit with plentiful hotel options should mean both Golden Knights and Kings fans will be well represented in opposing buildings.

Celebrities!

The Kings have
their pick of celebrity fans
, but Vegas has gained a following as well.
Lil Jon, has professed his appreciation for the Golden Knights. Meanwhile, Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant - both from Las Vegas - have been to a Golden Knights game.
Watch: Youtube Video
The Golden Knights also claim Steve Aoki, Andre Agassi, Tiesto, Daniel Negreanu and Imagine Dragons.
Seeing celebs go back and forth on social media during the playoffs is one of the more enjoyable parts of a postseason series and this one should be fun with the amount of star power following both teams.

A Series of Firsts

Everything about the playoffs will be new for the Golden Knights. This is their first season in the NHL and hence their first playoff series.
There will be a large spotlight on the Golden Knights with everything they do over the next few weeks, both in the Vegas/Los Angeles corridor, as well as nationally.
For the Kings, the hope is that they deliver Vegas with its first loss in its first series, while Vegas wants to extend its dream season even longer.