Speed, Balance And Discipline Keys To Golden Knights Round 1 Matchup

Speed, balance, discipline and a dash of brilliance are the keys for the Vegas Golden Knights in their Stanley Cup playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings.
The Kings have experience and some high-end talent in Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick. Los Angeles has won two Stanley Cups in the last seven years and the above-mentioned trip were keys for this group. But the Kings have just one playoff win since 2014 which saw big changes with John Stevens replacing Darryl Sutter as head coach and Rob Blake taking over the GM duties from Dean Lombardi.
Golden Knights GM George McPhee built a fast team with brilliant goaltending and then handed the roster to head coach Gerard Gallant who took under-utilized talent and gave it the opportunity to flourish.

William Karlsson, Erik Haula, Nate Schmidt, Colin Miller, Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch all took steps forward and had career seasons while veterans Marc-Andre Fleury, Brayden McNabb, Deryk Engelland, James Neal and David Perron gave the club backbone and leadership.
The result was a 51-win campaign and first place in the Pacific Division.
The Kings are built for the heavy going and will try to grind the Golden Knights into the ice. Vegas must use its speed, and force the Kings to try and play at the same pace. The goaltending matchup is as marquee as it gets with the three-time Stanley Cup champion Fleury taking on the two-time winner Quick.
Finally, this is a series which will cement a rivalry. The Kings of California and Nevada's Knights.
Buckle up.
TEAM STATS
Vegas: 21.4 PP% (9th), 81.4 PK% (10th), 268 GF (5th), 225 GA (8th)
Los Angeles: 20.4 PP% (17th), 85.0 PK% (1st), 237 GF (16th), 202 GA (1st)
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Vegas: 2-1-1
Los Angeles: 2-1-1
TEAM LEADERS (G-A-PTS)
Vegas: William Karlsson (43-35-78), Jonathan Marchessault (27-48-75), David Perron (16-50-66)
Los Angeles: Anze Kopitar (35-57-92), Dustin Brown (28-33-61), Drew Doughty (10-50-60)
Goals scored in season series combined - LAK 11 / VGK 10
LAK point leaders vs VGK: Anze Kopitar 5 pts (2G, 3A), Drew Doughty 4 pts (1G, 3A), Dion Phaneuf 3 pts (0G, 3A)
VGK point leaders vs LAK: Reilly Smith 6 pts (1G, 5A), William Karlsson 4 pts (3G, 1A), Cody Eakin 3 pts (1G, 2A), Jonathan Marchessault 3 pts (1G, 2A)
LA Connections
The Golden Knights selected Brayden McNabb from the Los Angeles Kings during the Expansion Draft on June 21. Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Colin Miller was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the fifth-round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.