Stanley Cup Finals Schedule 2012: Kings Have Advantage as Lower Seed

It's not very often that the No. 8 seed has the advantage, but that's just what we're getting from the Los Angeles Kings in the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals.

An on-fire road team that has the potential to melt the ice in New Jersey, the Kings skated through the Western Conference with ease. A big reason is because L.A. had nothing to lose and everything to gain after failing to finish the regular season strong.

With that, let's check out why the eighth seeded Kings have the edge in this series.

Road Consistency

Heading into the Stanley Cup Finals, the Los Angeles Kings have a perfect 8-0 road record in the postseason.

They haven't played a series longer than five games and have scored three-plus goals in every single Game 1 and Game 2 of their playoff series. As the Western Conference's No. 8 seed, Los Angeles has not been fazed by the opposing crowds and have logged only 44 penalty minutes in three road games against Phoenix in the last round.

Not surprisingly, L.A. won each game and the series 4-1. Looking at New Jersey, it's obviously going to be a more hostile environment, so it'll be interesting to see how the Kings respond in the Jersey.

Postseason Offense

Ironically, the Kings' postseason offense has been the exact opposite of their regular season production. Averaging just 2.3 goals per game before the playoffs and ranking No. 29, L.A. has since pulled a 180-degree turn.

In 14 playoff games the Kings have hit above their regular season average nine times and hold a 12-2 record during this onslaught. They've moved the puck well, exploded from transition, and simply continue to take advantage of any scoring opportunity.

As for the road games, Los Angeles four goals against the Coyotes in Phoenix thrice times. The impressive teamwork and rink awareness must remain intact, otherwise the Devils' defense is capable of taking over.

Nothing to Lose

As the No. 8 seed coming into the playoffs, the Los Angeles Kings has nothing to lose.

They were expected to get defeated in each round and have fended off every favorite thus far. There comes a certainly mentality when entering any game as an underdog. Whether it's the need to prove skeptics wrong or just use the playoff opportunity as motivation, this has made L.A. a dangerous team.

Now New Jersey didn't enter the postseason much better as the No. 6 seed, so the Devils can relate to being the underdogs. Nevertheless, the Kings entered the playoffs with a 3-6 record during the final nine games and a concerning offense.

So it was reasonable to suspect L.A. wasn't going to last. To that end, here the Kings are and it's time to find out if they have one more round in them.