NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: 13 Biggest Matchups to Watch in Canucks-Kings Series

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In a few short days, the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks will engage in the first round of the NHL playoffs.

They last met in the playoffs during the spring of 2010, and there have been quite a few roster changes since the Canucks defeated the Kings in six games.

Here is a quick primer on the key players of each team, and the roles they play.

In other words, which Kings to hate and which Kings to fear if you are a Canucks fan.

Or vice versa if you are a Kings fan.

*All stats are based on the 2011-2012 regular season.

Best Playmaker

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Canucks: Henrik Sedin (67 assists)

Kings: Anze Kopitar (51 Assists)

Advantage: Canucks

Henrik once again led the NHL in assists, as he has for the past few years. Hard to argue that he isn't the best playmaker in this series.

Biggest Sniper

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Canucks: Daniel Sedin (30 goals)

Kings: Anze Kopitar (25 goals)

Advantage: Canucks

Daniel is the biggest sniper on the Canucks, and has an Art Ross trophy to his credit.

He is still officially listed as day to day after that Duncan Keith cheap shot a few weeks ago left him with a concussion.

But unofficially, Canucks management have stated they expect him to dress for Game 1 after several days of training without any post concussion symptoms.

Clutch Player

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Canucks: Alex Burrows (seven game-winning goals)

Kings: Dustin Brown (six game-winning goals)

Advantage: Canucks

This isn't the Alex Burrows that Kings fans might remember from that 2010 playoff series. Burrows was fighting through a shoulder injury that would eventually require surgery and months of rehab, and was pretty ineffectual.

When healthy, Burrows is the Canuck most likely to score timely and crucial goals. Canucks fans might remember this goal from last year. It was pretty memorable.

In contrast, while Dustin Brown has been clutch for the Kings in the regular season, he has yet to score a game winning goal in the playoffs.

Offensive Defenseman

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Canucks: Alex Edler (49 points)

Kings: Drew Doughty (36 points)

Advantage: Canucks

Alex Edler has more than filled the offensive void left by the departed Christian Ehrhoff in Vancouver. Whether it is a smart pass or a booming slapshot, Edler knows how to get on the scoreboard.  

Shutdown Defenseman

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Canucks: Dan Hamhuis (+29 plus/minus rating)

Kings: Willie Mitchell (+20 plus/minus rating)

Advantage: Canucks

Dan Hamhuis and Willie Mitchell are pretty similar. Both are from small towns in British Columbia. Both came to Vancouver as free agents. Both play a shutdown role against the opponent's top line.

But, Hamhuis is the younger, better version. He gets more points too.

Which is why the Canucks let Mitchell walk as a free agent and signed Hamhuis to replace him. Sorry Willie, but it's true. 

Face-off Specialist

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Canucks: Manny Malhotra (58.5 percent)

Kings: Jarret Stoll (55 percent)

Advantage: Canucks

The Canucks and Kings actually are both pretty good at face-offs, with several players on each team being over 50 percent.

However, Malhotra is the best of the best at face-offs. 

Shot Blocker

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Canucks: Alex Edler (145 blocks)

Kings: Willie Mitchell (139 blocks)

Advantage: Canucks

Edler not only scores a lot at the other end of the ice, but he simply gets his body in the way of more pucks heading at his net than any other player in this series.

Biggest Thief

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Canucks: Chris Higgins (50 takeaways)

Kings: Anze Kopitar (76 takeaways)

Advantage: Canucks

Chris Higgins is a great two-way player who can play on any line and make it better.

Currently, he is on the third line for the Canucks, capitalizing on his strong ability to steal the puck and create offence from turnovers.

Biggest Butter Fingers

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Canucks: Kevin Bieksa (68 giveaways)

Kings: Drew Doughty (65 giveaways)

Advantage: Kings

Is anyone surprised that a pair of high risk, high reward defencemen "lead" their respective teams in giveaways?

Bieksa brings a lot of things to the Canucks, and is a key part of their defence. He also turns the puck over. A lot.

Most Hits

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Canucks: Maxim Lapierre (244 hits)

Kings: Dustin Brown (293 hits)

Advantage: Kings

Dustin Brown is a very impressive power forward, especially if you threaten to trade him. He has had an off year in terms of scoring, but his physical game is still intact.

Brown's 293 hits was the second highest of any NHL player this season.

Who Is Most Likely to Take a Penalty?

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Canucks: Alex Burrows (90 penalty minutes from 45 minor penalties)

Kings: Jarret Stoll (60 penalty minutes from 30 minor penalties)

Advantage: Kings

Who are you most likely to hear going to the sin bin? That would be world class agitator (and goal scorer, but no one cares about that outside of Vancouver) Alex Burrows.

This could be extremely important in a closely fought series, where a single power play goal could be a deciding factor. 

Goalies

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Canucks: Roberto Luongo (31 wins, 5 shutouts, 2.41 GAA, 0.919 save percentage)

Kings: Jonathan Quick (35 wins, 10 shutouts, 1.95 GAA, 0.929 save percentage)

Advantage: Kings

Quick is the better goalie based on regular season stats, but take those with a grain of salt, since Luongo was behind a Canucks team that sleepwalked through massive chunks of the regular season schedule.

Luongo also massively outplayed Quick in the 2010 playoff series, so Canucks fans are hoping we get to see a repeat performance.

Wildcard: Underperforming Star Player Who Can Step Up in the Playoffs

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Canucks: Ryan Kesler (22 goals, 27 assists, 49 points)

Kings: Jeff Carter (21 goals, 13 assists, 34 points)

Advantage: ???

Both Carter and Kesler are having horrible seasons by their lofty standards.

Kesler perhaps came back too early from his offseason hip surgery, but for whatever reason, his goalscoring is almost half of what it was last season.

Carter went from saviour to goat rather quickly in Columbus, eventually being run out of town half a season after he was run out of Philadelphia. He has also been struggling with injuries.

Either one of these players has the ability to dominate a playoff series. The question is, which one will step up and redeem their mediocre season with a great playoff performance?

My bet is on Kesler, who as a Selke Trophy winner, is still very valuable even if he isn't scoring.