Sorry, didn't see this thread until today. Kings fan here, as most of yous know. My love of the NHL took a major hit at the beginning of the season but here I am, still watching the games (still have spent an absolute minimum amount of $$$ on Kings stuff, true to my word). Things haven't gone as swimmingly for the Kings as they did last playoffs but here they are, in the WC finals.
Chicago will be tough. It's gonna be a minimum 6 game series. I have a healthy respect for the Hawks....however, I saw enough defensive breakdowns between the Hawks and Wings that I know the Kings could exploit greatly if their offense is clicking. I'll admit that I don't know too much about Chicago's defense but I'm giving a slight edge to the Kings. With Greene back and Regher in for Mitchell, you have two bruising stay at home d-men. You also have the ever-solid Scuderi, and the swift puckmovers in Doughty and Voynov. Hopefully Muzzin can have a good series and keep the rookie mistakes to a minimum. Goaltending I'm giving the edge to the Kings with Quick, although I have seen Crawford play lights out before, so that's a worry. The offense is what really scares me about Chicago. Kane, Toews, Hossa, Sharp? Damn, that's a whole lot of skill.
I think the key to the series will be which team can kick it to the next level. Both teams are capable of it and the Kings have yet to reach the same intensity they had last playoffs. If the Kings can get their offense clicking, their hits bruising and punishing, their forecheck furious, and stay out of the box, they can take it in 6 or 7. First things first, get a split in Chicago this weekend.
I'm rooting for my Kings but really any one of these 4 teams can be favored.