NHL Playoff Schedule 2012: Los Angeles Kings Will Pull Huge Upset of Canucks

The Los Angeles Kings slipped into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, but they will pull the biggest upset of the postseason by defeating the Vancouver Canucks in the first round.

Vancouver won the Presidents' Trophy as the best team in the NHL this season, but recent history is not on the team's side.

Before the Canucks went to the Stanley Cup finals a year ago, the two previous Presidents' Trophy winners lost in the first round. In fact, only one team has won both trophies in the same season since 2002, the 2008 Detroit Red Wings. 

Besides history, there are a few other reasons the Canucks should be on notice.

The primary advantage the Kings have on their side is goalie Jonathan Quick.

Quick just finished the best year of his career by leading the NHL with 10 shutouts. He was also second in the league with a 1.95 goals against average, and he was fifth with a .929 save percentage.

He has struggled in the past two years in the playoffs, but the experience will continue to help him grow. 

The most common cause for a playoff upset is great goaltending. If Quick can play to the best of his ability, Vancouver will not be able to score.

At that point, the Kings would only need to scratch a few goals across to be victorious. With Anze Kopitar setting up shots, that should not be a problem.

Los Angeles is also able to take away an advantage for Vancouver by being one of the best penalty-kill teams in the league.

The Kings have successfully killed 87 percent of power plays, and have even added nine shorthanded goals throughout the year.

Finally, the Canucks will not have the intimidation factor of a usual No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup.

These teams split the season series, with each team winning once at home and once on the road in four games. 

The Kings have proven throughout the year that they can win on the road, and the Rogers Arena should be no different.

It might take all seven games, but Los Angeles will be the team advancing to the second round.