NHL Playoffs 2012: Why the Los Angeles Kings Won't Be Stopped

The NHL playoffs are taking shape, and the semifinals are almost set. 

With that being said, there is one team that has looked unstoppable this postseason.

That team is the Los Angeles Kings, and it looks like they won't be stopped anytime soon.

They have had the toughest road to get to where they are so far. More than that, they have done it in impressive fashion.

In the first round, they easily knocked off the top-ranked Vancouver Canucks. Despite losing one game, beating the best team in the Western Conference in five games in the first round is impressive. 

Vancouver could never get anything going as it was constantly sent packing by Jonathan Quick's continued brilliance in the net. The most goals they were able to manage in a game was three, and that was in their winning effort.

The Kings then went on to dominate the second-ranked St. Louis Blues. Yes, I said dominate. By dominate, I mean they swept them.

The Kings swept a team who was just as good in the net as themselves. They even scored five goals one game on the stonewall goaltending of St. Louis. 

And again, Quick was brilliant in the net. He never gave up more than two goals, which is a testament to his skill level as an NHL goaltender.

The Kings have been all-around fantastic in the playoffs. The have received good production from their offensive players as well, as it has not all been credited to Quick.

Dustin Brown is having a great playoff run this year, putting in six goals thus far. He also leads the team in points at 11, which is a good marketing tool for him in the offseason.

Mike Richards has been valuable on the faceoff, winning over 50 percent of the faceoffs he has competed in. He has also produced, putting in three goals of his own.

Anze Kopitar has produced with his stick and, surprisingly, his fists this postseason. In addition to getting into a fight in the first round of the playoffs, Kopitar has three goals and 10 points.

Drew Doughty and the defense have played well in front of Quick, which has also contributed to the low goal numbers by the opposition. If they continue to play this way, there is no stopping the Kings.

So, the Kings will play the Phoenix Coyotes in the Western Conference finals. The Coyotes have a goalie who is also hot in Mike Smith, but nobody is on the level of Quick.

The Coyotes have been more than impressive this postseason, but are running into a runaway train in the Kings. I have the Kings winning the series in five games.

The Kings will go on to the Stanley Cup Finals and play either the New Jersey Devils or the New York Rangers (who, I believe, will beat the Washington Capitals). The Kings will beat either of these teams, as their all-around attack has been too much for any team.

In the end, Lord Stanley's Cup will go to Los Angeles and Quick will earn his Conn Smythe Trophy. The Kings will have made an unlikely run at the crown, and it will go down in history as one of the best playoff runs ever.