NHL Playoff Schedule 2012: L.A. Kings and Underdogs Who Must Start Strong

And you thought the first round of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs was good, just wait till you see what the NHL has in store for Round 2, starting this weekend.

If there's one thing we've learned so far, it's that anything goes and nothing is sacred. Just ask the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Boston Bruins, the Vancouver Canucks, the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks—all hockey powerhouses that were knocked out of the running much sooner than anyone expected.

But if these Cinderellas are going to get any closer to the proverbial ball, they'll need to keep their carriages from turning back into pumpkins with strong starts to their next series.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings got the hard part (beating the high-powered Canucks) out of the way.

Now comes the hard...er part: topping themselves.

And by themselves, I mean the St. Louis Blues, who are as close a facsimile to the Kings as they'll find without looking in the mirror.

From outstanding goaltending and defensive-oriented styles to midseason coaching changes and taking out Western Conference finalists in five games, these two teams as so similar, it's actually kind of creepy.

In any case, the Blues might actually be a tougher nut to crack for the Kings, considering how well Brian Elliott has played in net and how physical St. Louis is as a team. L.A. will need to start strong in the Gateway City at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday to prove that their Round 1 triumph was no fluke and that this team is intent on competing for the Cup.

Washington Capitals

It's no secret that D.C. is a strange city, but who knew that reputation could or would ever make its way into the Capitals' locker room. The usual script—dominating in the regular season with a high-scoring style, led by Alexander Ovechkin, before fizzling in the playoffs—has been flipped in favor of one that's seen the Caps barely sneak into the postseason and pull off a stunning seven-game upset of the defending champion Boston Bruins, with Ovi's role drastically reduced.

Much of the credit belongs to head coach Dale Hunter, who replaced the foul-mouthed Bruce Boudreau early and miraculously transformed the Caps into a fearless, defensive-minded club.

Oh yeah, and rookie goaltender Braden Holtby (2.00 goals-against average, .940 save percentage) was pretty good against the B's, too.

Topping Tim Thomas was one thing for the young netminder. Outplaying Henrik Lundqvist, one of the favorites to win the Vezina Trophy, will be another matter entirely.

Yet that's the task with which Holtby will be charged when the puck drops between the Caps and the Rangers on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET. Both teams will be rearing to go after thrilling Game 7 victories.

And though neither is a goal-scoring juggernaut, the Caps—with Ovi, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin—have enough firepower in their arsenal to give the top-seeded Blueshirts a run for their money from the get-go.

Phoenix Coyotes

Neither the Coyotes nor the Predators fit the technical description of "underdog," per se. Phoenix owned home-ice advantage in their first series and will once again in Round 2, while Nashville came into the playoffs as a dark horse to win the Cup, thanks to strong goaltending by Pekka Rinne and the blue-line duo of Shea Weber and Ryan Suter.

From a wider perspective, though, the 'Yotes, still under the NHL's direct control, were thought to be toast against the "mighty" Chicago Blackhawks, but they managed to advance behind the spectacular play of Mike Smith in goal. The Preds, on the other hand, had to show the big-brother Detroit Red Wings what "Hockeytown South" was all about on the way to the second round.

So who's the underdog now?

It's still the 'Yotes, thanks to their relatively reserved expectations coming into the postseason and (again) the turmoil under which they've operated in recent years.

With Nashville as good as it is at home, it's imperative that Phoenix defends their own ice, beginning Friday night at 9:00 p.m. ET, if they're going to keep hope alive and deliver Shane Doan another step closer to the Cup.

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