NBC crew sees obstacles in Kings' quest to repeat

A new NHL season begins in seven days and inquiring minds would like to know whether or not the Los Angeles Kings have what it takes to become the first team in almost two decades to deliver back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.

The question was posed to NBC Sports Group's lead NHL broadcast team of veteran play-by-play man Mike "Doc" Emrick, analyst Eddie Olczyk and "Inside the Glass" analyst Pierre McGuire during a conference call Wednesday previewing the 2014-15 season.

"The Kings won't win because the numbers say we haven't had a repeat winner in a long time," Olczyk said. "You need a lot of things to go right and have some luck, and look at the hole they dug themselves out of last year."

Hall of Fame member Scotty Bowman was the last coach to celebrate consecutive championships after leading his Detroit Red Wings to hockey's pinnacle in 1997 and 1998. The last team to win the Stanley Cup and return to the Final the following season also was Detroit, which won it all in 2008 against the Pittsburgh Penguins before losing a seven-game series in a rematch the following season.

"I think another compounding thing is you just don't know the health of Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (who had wrist surgery in June)," McGuire said. "I asked Jonathan if he felt a lot of young people would try and copy his goaltending style over time because he's proven to be so successful. He said they may try and copy it but they're going to end up in the emergency room.

"He plays just super aggressive and as [NBCSN executive producer] Sam Flood once said about Tim Thomas, he plays the [goalie] position like a linebacker in football. Quick does the same thing, and I worry a lot about whether he'll have enough juice left in the tank."

Emrick said the competitive grind of playing in the Western Conference might provide an opportunity for an Eastern Conference team.

"The Boston Bruins will win," Emrick said. "I see those teams out West being so strong and probably there will be a 97-point team that will miss out, but the physical battles that will take place before all is said and done will really take a toll. I think it's Boston's year; they have almost everybody back, signed a couple of important players, and I just like the look of the team in the preseason."

The regular season begins with an NBCSN doubleheader on Oct. 8. The Philadelphia Flyers will visit TD Garden to play the Bruins, followed by the defending champion Kings playing host to the San Jose Sharks at Staples Center.

A banner emblematic of the Kings' second Stanley Cup in three seasons will be included in the season opener, along with the presentation of players' championship rings. It is one of 13 regular-season games on NBC Sports that will feature the Kings.

"I can only imagine being a San Jose Shark player and sitting in the locker room for a long time and knowing those guys are getting their rings out there," Emrick said. "So that game is going to be exciting."

The Kings rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Sharks in the Western Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring.

McGuire said the Central Division in the West is the strongest in the NHL.

"I would expect the Colorado Avalanche, who won the division last year, to be as good or better this year even though they lost Paul Stastny to rival St. Louis," McGuire said. "I think that [2014 Calder Trophy winner] Nathan MacKinnon will have another all-world year. I can't wait to see what Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith (of the Chicago Blackhawks) have in store for their fans and the rest of the division.

McGuire said the St. Louis Blues will likely be "grumpy, nasty, mean and tough to play against." He's looking forward to watching the Minnesota Wild, which eliminated the Avalanche in the first round last season, and the much-improved Dallas Stars.

"[Dallas center] Tyler Seguin could lead the League in scoring," McGuire said. "After his trade from Boston, he's matured and grown up over the last year-and-a-half. He's 16 pounds heavier and it's muscle, and you can see it when he struts into the room."

Coming off the most-watched NHL regular season on NBC and NBCSN, the most-watched Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2006, and most-watched Stanley Cup Playoffs on cable in 17 years, NBC Sports Group will deliver coverage of 103 NHL regular-season games that will feature 14 games on NBC and 89 games on NBCSN. All games will be streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra.

Olczyk is wondering if the Anaheim Ducks can take that next step after some major retooling during the offseason.

"There is no team in the League that has more expectations and pressure on them than the Ducks," Olczyk said. "They have a good enough team to win; just look at the acquisitions general manager Bob Murray made. They are bigger and tougher, and they added depth with Ryan Kesler, Nate Thompson, Dany Heatley and Clayton Stoner.

Ryan Kesler

Center - ANA

GOALS: 25 | ASST: 18 | PTS: 43
SOG: 239 | +/-: -15

The 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic will be played on Jan. 1, 2015, between the Washington Capitals and Blackhawks at Nationals Park, the 41,546-seat home of the Washington Nationals situated along the Capitol Riverfront in the Navy Yard section of Washington.

It will be the second appearance in the NHL Winter Classic for each team. The Capitals can become the first team to win two NHL Winter Classic games. They defeated the Penguins 3-1 under the lights and in the rain at Heinz Field on Jan. 1, 2011. The Blackhawks lost 6-4 to the Red Wings at Wrigley Field on Jan. 1, 2009.

For the first time since 2012, NBCSN will provide coverage of the NHL All-Star Game from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets. All-Star weekend will take place Jan. 24-25 and include the NHL All-Star Skills Competition™ and the NHL All-Star Game.

All the speakers on the panel are looking forward to watching the Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning because each team is full of talent and should be much improved.

"The Blue Jackets and Lightning will create a lot of heartache for a lot of teams," McGuire said.

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