Stanley Cup Finals: 5 Best Moves the L.A. Kings Made During the Regular Season

The Los Angeles Kings are now two wins away from capturing the franchise's first ever Stanley Cup title.

The Kings have been the NHL's hottest team in the postseason, despite being the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference. Thus far, the Kings are 10-0 on the road in the playoffs and 14-2 overall.

How did the Kings get hot at the right time? Here are five moves the Kings made during the regular season that helped make this year's impressive Stanley Cup run possible.

1. Hiring Darryl Sutter as Coach

The Kings were a few games under .500 and seemed like a lost cause when they let go Terry Murray and hired Darryl Sutter to be their new head coach.

Murray is a quality NHL coach, but his team had tuned him out and it seems he had taken them as far as he could during his tenure behind the bench.

Under Sutter, the Kings found more discipline and a system that worked better and better after the players figured out their roles.

Sutter has been there before. He coached the Flames to the Stanley Cup finals in 2004 and had several successful years in San Jose before landing in Hollywood.

Los Angeles finished the season 25-13-11 under Sutter and has been playing better than any team in the 2012 playoffs.

2. Acquiring Jeff Carter at the Trade Deadline

The Kings struggled to score goals all season, finishing 29th in the league overall in that vital category with only the Minnesota Wild scoring less.

At the trade deadline, they acquired forward Jeff Carter from the Blue Jackets.

The former Flyers forward did not seem to be a good fit in Columbus and his scoring stats were way down. But the Carter had talent, as his three seasons of 30 goals or more including a career high of 46 back in 2008-09 can attest.

Carter got a fresh start in Los Angeles. His offensive skills were badly needed and greatly appreciated by the Kings. He scored six goals and nine points in 16 games with L.A. before providing 10 points in the first 16 games in the postseason. His most thrilling moment so far was scoring the thrilling overtime game winner in Game 2 of the final against New Jersey.

Reuniting Carter with Mike Richards, his former teammate in Philadelphia, seems to have helped both players regain some of their scoring spark.

Acquiring Carter was another move that made the Kings' long playoff run possible.

3. Not Trading Dustin Brown

One of the oldest cliches in sports says that sometimes the best deals are the ones you don't make.

At the trade deadline, rumors abounded that the Kings would trade captain Dustin Brown to acquire some more offensive firepower and shake up their struggling roster.

No deal was made and, boy, are the Kings glad they kept their captain. Perhaps the rumors that he would be traded shook Brown up or maybe the addition of Jeff Carter helped, but Brown finished the season strong and even had a 10-game point scoring streak after the trade deadline.

In the playoffs, Brown has been one of the Kings best players with seven goals and 16 points including three game winners. He has also been the heart and soul of the team, providing leadership and playing a vigorous physical style that set the tone for the Kings' success.

4. Bringing Slava Voynov Along Slowly

The play of defenseman Slava Voynov has been a key for the Kings in the playoffs.

The 22-year-old Voynov has been teamed with veteran Willie Mitchell to provide a quality second pairing for Los Angeles behind Drew Doughty and Rob Scuderi.

The rookie appeared in 54 games this season and his minutes increased as the season moved along, as the Kings coaching staff gained more confidence in his ability to play well both with and without the puck.

When the Kings dealt Jack Johnson to Columbus as part of the Jeff Carter deal, Voynov saw his playing time increase further and he has not disappointed. He has added a goal and three points and makes consistent outlet passes that help the Kings transition effectively from defense to offense and get around the Devils' aggressive forecheck.

The sky is the limit for Voynov. By being patient with him during the regular season, the Kings were able to build up his confidence and have their young defenseman ready to play his best in the playoffs.

5. Recalling Jordan Nolan from the AHL

In mid-February, the Kings recalled rookie forward Jordan Nolan from their AHL affiliate in Manchester.

The son of former NHL Sabres and Islanders coach Ted Nolan has been a great addition to the Kings' fourth line.

In the playoffs, Nolan has played a good, physical, style of play without hurting his team defensively. The 22-year-old has also provided the Kings with some spurts of offense, not so much with highlight-reel plays, but with hard work and all-out effort.

"My dad taught me to just work hard, that's how he coaches players, and that's what got me here," Nolan told Newsday."That's what you have to do to be successful."