Stanley Cup Playoffs 2012: Players Who Must Dominate for Kings to Clinch

The Los Angeles Kings need team captain Dustin Brown to dominate the ice tonight if they have any hopes of clinching the Stanley Cup at home in Game 6 of the Finals.

He's not the only star who needs to have a phenomenal game for them to sew things up, though. They will obviously need a complete team effort, but there are a few key players who must have big games in order to keep the series from moving back to the East Coast for Game 7.

If they fail to do so, Game 7 is a toss-up—something the Kings don't want to touch with a 10-foot pole.

Dustin Brown, Right Wing

There's no nice way to say this, so I'll just rip the band aid right off: Brown has been terrible in this series so far. The captain and emotional leader of the Kings has only managed to score one point through five games in this series—a lone assist in Game 3.

Perhaps Brown is just tired from balling out in the first three rounds of the playoffs, but his team desperately needs him to return to the stellar form that allowed him to score 16 points during those rounds.

The team will experience a huge emotional lift if Brown does manage to rekindle the magic tonight, and it couldn't come at a more pivotal moment for the club.

Drew Doughty, Defenseman

Doughty, at the tender age of 22, is one of the bright and shining stars of the NHL.

He has blossomed into a ferocious defender who punished his opponents on a regular basis, but that's not all he's capable of doing on the ice. Through five games in this series, Doughty leads all scorers with four points on two goals and two assists.

The Kings will need Doughty to continue stepping up his game tonight. He is their best enforcer and is an invaluable component to the team's championship aspirations. 

Jonathan Quick, Goalie

You can't make a list of key Kings players without mentioning Quick. His playoff run has been nothing short of remarkable. 

Throughout the playoffs, Quick has allowed only 1.43 goals per game, stopping an amazing 94.6 percent of the 520 shots his opponents have attempted. As a comparison, his opponent Martin Brodeur is allowing 2.00 goals per game and has stopped 92.2 percent of his shots throughout the playoffs—and he's no slouch.

As good as Quick has been up to this point, neither he nor the Kings can rest on their laurels. He must keep adding mortar to the nearly-impenetrable brick wall he has built, and it wouldn't hurt his cause to add a few more bricks while he's at it.

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