Biggest Storyline Surrounding Each NHL Conference Finalist

There are only four teams left in contention as the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs enter the conference final round.

Each of the four remaining clubs has several interesting stories surrounding them, but here is a look at the biggest storyline surrounding each of these teams as the conference finals get underway.

The biggest story is the one that most people will be talking about and the one that holds the key to the team's success moving forward. It is usually a challenge that the team needs to overcome in order to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

Angles that focus on individual players are always interesting, but rarely are they the biggest story surrounding a team.

Feel free to chime in on what you feel is a bigger story surrounding any of the four remaining clubs, but indicate why you feel your choice is a better one.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The biggest storyline surrounding the Pittsburgh Penguins remains the play of goalie Tomas Vokoun.

When the playoffs got underway, starter Marc-Andre Fleury was in goal for the Penguins. Unfortunately, Fleury's play against the Islanders was inconsistent. He let in a number of soft goals in the four games he played, two of which the Penguins lost.

At that point, head coach Dan Bylsma replaced Fleury with backup goalie Vokoun. Vokoun has played well since being given the nod, going 6-1 in seven games with a .941 save percentage and a GAA of just 1.85.

General manager Ray Shero signed Vokoun to a two-year contract last summer for this very reason. After Fleury faltered during the past two postseasons, Shero felt his club needed an experienced veteran insurance policy in net in case he was shaky again.

The Bruins are a team that rolls four lines and features a style that utilizes its size and likes to use an aggressive forecheck.

The Penguins need Vokoun to continue his stellar play if they hope to win their first Stanley Cup since 2009.

Boston Bruins

Boston's biggest storyline right now remains the play of its defense.

The Bruins will certainly have their hands full in the Eastern Conference final as they take on an explosive Penguins team that features Evgeni Malkin, Jarome Iginla, James Neal and Sidney Crosby.

The Bruins were forced to play three rookie defensemen at the beginning of their second-round series with the Rangers due to injuries to Andrew Ference, Wade Redden and Dennis Seidenberg.

The rookies filled in admirably, and the play of Torey Krug was the most pleasant surprise of all. The Livonia, Mich. native scored four goals and five points in his first five playoff games. Three of his goals came when the Bruins had the man advantage.

With Seidenberg back in the lineup and Ference practicing with the team again, the Bruins have more depth than they did against the Rangers, and that's important because the Penguins have a lot more dangerous goal scorers than New York did.

Expect captain Zdeno Chara to log at least 28 to 30 minutes per game against the Penguins. Boston fans should also expect a physical defenseman like Adam McQuaid to try to hit Pittsburgh's forwards as often as possible as the Bruins try to minimize the Pittsburgh attack.

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings face a challenge that no team has successfully met in almost 15 years: repeating as Stanley Cup champions.

The Detroit Red Wings are the last team to win back-to-back Stanley Cups, and they accomplished that back in 1997 and 1998. Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman was behind the bench as Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Larry Murphy and Nicklas Lidstrom helped lead the Wings to victory.

There are a few factors working in the Kings' favor this year. The lengthy lockout evened the playing field a bit and allowed players to recuperate from all those extra games Stanley Cup winners play every spring. The lack of exhibition games and an abbreviated training camp also favored teams with established coaches and rosters, and the Kings had both.

Last season's success also gave Los Angeles a certain confidence that perhaps its opponents lack, while the shorter season increased the intensity level right away once the puck finally dropped in January.

The Kings also possess two other key assets. First, they remain a big and physical team that dishes out a lot more punishment than it takes in order to wear down opponents. Look at the recent series with the Sharks. Los Angeles outhit San Jose in six of the seven games in the series and by a total of 294-220.

The Kings also have arguably the best playoff goalie in the game today in Jonathan Quick. Quick won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs last season and is off to an even better start this year. He leads all qualifying goalies with a 1.50 GAA and leads the league with three shutouts and a .948 save percentage.

It remains to be seen if the Kings can repeat as champions, but they are halfway there and looking strong, so far.

Chicago Blackhawks

Of all the remaining teams in the playoffs, the Chicago Blackhawks have the shakiest power play.

During the regular season, Chicago ranked 19th in the NHL with a 16.7 percent success rate with the man advantage.

In the playoffs, the 'Hawks have struggled even more, converting just six times in 37 attempts, or a 16.2 percent conversion rate.

The Blackhawks need to play well enough on the power play to beat the Kings. Both teams are strong defensively, and a low-scoring series is very likely. In fact, the Kings have given up the fewest goals per game in the playoffs thus far, while the Blackhawks are second.

That means the team that scores on the power play may very well win this series.

Marian Hossa leads the club with five points on the power play. Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews are right behind him with four points apiece.

If Chicago is able to be productive on the power play, it has a good chance of unseating the defending Stanley Cup champions.