Golden Knights vs. Kings playoff preview

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Los Angeles Kings

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RELATED: [Complete Golden Knights vs. Kings series coverage]

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The skinny

Before the Vegas Golden Knights, the Los Angeles Kings ruled the Strip.
The Kings played a preseason game outdoors against the New York Rangers at Caesars Palace in 1991. They played preseason games indoors at MGM Grand Garden Arena almost every year from 1997-2015 in the Frozen Fury.
They played two preseason games at T-Mobile Arena in 2016.
Their logo was painted at center ice. They were the home team.
"I'm sure once the [Vegas] team is settled in here, they're going to have to find some rival," Kings center Anze Kopitar said then. "It'll be interesting to see who they get. I think you've got to go through some playoff battles with a team to build that up."

Well, here you go: The Golden Knights made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their inaugural season, and their first opponent will be the Kings, who missed the playoffs two out of the past three years after winning the Cup two out of the previous three.
Vegas will have home-ice advantage at T-Mobile Arena, but the place should be rocking with fans from each team, especially with Los Angeles a four-hour drive away.
This will be speed vs. brawn, offense vs. defense. The Golden Knights' strengths are their skating and depth. They were one of the NHL's best offensive teams during the regular season, averaging 3.27 goals per game. The Kings are physical and were the NHL's best defensive team, averaging 2.46 goals against per game.
"It's going to be a good matchup," Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault said. "They have good players, a good team. We always have good battles against them. But I think we need to go in as a confident group as we are. I mean, if we play our game and don't worry about them, we'll be fine."

Game breaker

Kings:Not only did Kopitar rebound from a subpar season (52 points in 2016-17), he set NHL career highs in goals (35), assists (57) and points (92), leading the Kings in scoring by 31 points. A winner of the Selke Trophy (2016) as the NHL's best defensive forward, he plays in all situations and averaged 22:05 of ice time per game, most among forwards in the League.

Golden Knights:No one knew who Vegas' No. 1 center would be entering the season. William Karlsson seized the role by scoring 43 goals, 34 more than his NHL career high entering the season, and 78 points, 53 more than his career high. He has to prove he can produce in the playoffs, though. Karlsson has three points (two goals, one assist) in five career postseason games.

X-factor

Kings:Forward Adrian Kempe has the skill to make an impact offensively. He had 16 goals through his first 52 games this season but none in his final 28 games, and he has no NHL playoff experience.
Golden Knights: General manager George McPhee paid a high price to acquire forward Tomas Tatar from the Detroit Red Wings before the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline, giving up first-, second- and third-round picks. Tatar should be able to score. He has had as many as 29 goals in a season (2014-15). But he had four in 20 games with Vegas down the stretch, and he has three in 17 playoff games.

Goaltending

Kings:Jonathan Quick has won the Stanley Cup twice with the Kings. He has a career .921 save percentage in the playoffs and had a .921 save percentage this season. But he struggled in his last playoff appearance, posting an .886 save percentage in five games against the San Jose Sharks in 2016.
Golden Knights:Marc-Andre Fleury has won the Stanley Cup three times with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has a career .908 save percentage in the playoffs. But he had a .924 save percentage last postseason, when he carried the Penguins through the first two rounds, and he had an NHL career-best .927 save percentage this season.

Numbers to know

Kings:One of the reasons they were the top defensive team in the NHL is that they were the top penalty-killing team in the NHL at 85.0 percent.
Golden Knights:They have good offensive depth, with six players who scored at least 20 goals. Los Angeles has three players who scored at least 20.

They said it

"They're a good team. Every time we've played them this year, they've put up a good challenge, and up and down their lineup, they're pretty strong. It'll be a great test for us."-- Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith
"They're a team that carries a lot of speed, and I think you've got to just stay over the top. You've got to keep them in front of you. They like to make a lot of plays in the neutral zone. They generate a lot of their offense just off their defensive-zone play. I think their forwards, if they read that their [defensemen] are having success, they're not afraid to get going. They're a really good hockey club, and you've got to play a strong team game if you're going to keep their team speed in check." -- Kings defenseman Alec Martinez

Will win if …

Kings:Their superstars shine. Kopitar is one of the best two-way centers in the game, if not the best. Drew Doughty is one of the best defensemen, if not the best. Each logs a lot of minutes and can take over a game, if not a series.
Golden Knights:They play their style and don't get sucked into the Kings'. If they use their speed and depth, they can skate past Los Angeles and make matching up difficult.

How they look

Kings projected lineup

Tanner Pearson -- Anze Kopitar -- Dustin Brown
Tobias Rieder -- Jeff Carter -- Tyler Toffoli
Kyle Clifford -- Adrian Kempe -- Trevor Lewis
Nate Thompson -- Michael Amadio -- Torrey Mitchell
Jake Muzzin -- Drew Doughty
Alex Martinez -- Christian Folin
Dion Phaneuf -- Paul LaDue
Jonathan Quick
Jack Campbell
Scratched:Andy Andreoff, Oscar Fantenberg, Sheldon Rempal, Daniel Brickley
Injured: Derek Forbort (lower body), Alex Iafallo (upper body)

Golden Knights projected lineup

Jonathan Marchessault -- William Karlsson -- Reilly Smith
James Neal -- Erik Haula -- Alex Tuch
Tomas Tatar -- Cody Eakin -- Ryan Carpenter
Tomas Nosek -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -- William Carrier
Brayden McNabb -- Nate Schmidt
Shea Theodore -- Deryk Engelland
Jon Merrill -- Colin Miller
Marc-Andre Fleury
Malcom Subban
Scratched:Brad Hunt, Oscar Lindberg, Jon Merrill, Ryan Reaves
Injured: David Perron (undisclosed), Luca Sbisa (undisclosed)

Status report

Perron did not play in the final six games because of an injury but was skating. ... Smith returned in the season finale after missing 15 games, and Marchessault returned after missing two. ... Schmidt sat out the last two games but is expected to be in the lineup for the start of the playoffs.