Kings vs. Devils: Keys to Los Angeles Completing Series Sweep

The Los Angeles Kings have outplayed the New Jersey Devils in the first three games of the Stanley Cup Finals, but they still have to do a few things if they want to complete the series sweep.

Lord Stanley's Cup is so close that Darryl Sutter's boys can taste it. Do your best not to discount the Kings' run of dominance by saying that the Devils hardly showed up in this series. Instead, focus on what the Kings have been doing well over the course of their first three wins.

Here are the things the Kings need to do if they want to win Game 4 and the Stanley Cup. 

Anze Kopitar Must Keep Playing at a High Level

Keep feeding the beast, Los Angeles. Keep feeding the beast.

Kopitar has notched 14 points in his last 11 games, seven goals and seven assists. He did whatever he pleased in Game 3, rushing into the offensive zone and attacking the net relentlessly. Zach Parise bore the brunt of his attacks, as Kopitar made quick work of him in the majority of the trips down the ice.

In the two games the Kings lost this postseason, Kopitar failed to register an assist. That means that he needs to act as a facilitator and catalyst for the offensive, on top of being a finisher. He has a plus/minus of plus-15 in these playoffs, so the more the Kings can get him on the ice, the better.

Even when he hasn't had the puck, he's outworked his New Jersey counterparts and it's showed in the box score.

Continue Dominating the Devils on the Penalty Kill

The Kings were absolutely dominant on the penalty kill in Game 3, stopping the Devils on all six chances that they had. That penalty kill performance came on the heels of two that were nearly as impressive in the first couple of tilts. The Kings neutralized two power plays in Game 1 and four more in Game 2.

They've killed 92.8 percent of the penalties they have faced in the playoffs thus far, and have even scored five shorthanded goals. The penalty kill has been the calling card for this team all year, as they finished fourth in the league at 87 percent in that respect.

Through three games, the Kings have blocked 42 shots. That's been a big reason for their successful penalty kill, and they'll need to keep up the good work if they want a nice, easy sweep.

Take Care of the Puck

The Kings gave the puck away a total of seven times in the first two games of the series. That's a stark contrast to their performance in Game 3, when they gave the puck back to New Jersey 17 times.

Although they won the game 4-0, that number is way too high to result in any type of sustained success for the rest of the series—however long that may be. Sutter and company are lucky that the Devils haven't been able to shake their incompetence in this series, or they could have found themselves in trouble.

Regardless of hypothetical situations, they've played extremely well for the entire series, other than the 17 giveaways in Game 3. If they can be careful with the puck, we could be in for a real ugly—or beautiful—series finale, depending on where your allegiance lies.