Four months after their epic success, the Kings return to assault the Stanley Cup, the trophy they have won for the second time in three years, with a team largely unchanged.
“It is undoubtedly the toughest competition to win two years in a row, especially since the introduction of the + salary cap + (salary cap after the 2004-05 season, Editor’s note),“Kings coach Darryl Sutter conceded.
The last team to have managed to retain the supreme title is Detroit with its successes in 1997 and 1998.
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“We saw last season that it played out very little. Our first objective will be to reach the play-offs“, he added in reference to the incredible resilience of his team who needed, each time, the seven games to eliminate San Jose, Anaheim and defending champion Chicago to reach the final.
With Jonathan Quick in the goals and the formidable association between Anze Kopitar (34 goals and 62 assists) and Marian Gaborik (14 goals in the play-offs), the Kings have solid assets.
– On-board cameras –
But the title holders will not be without rivals in the Western Conference, between the Anaheim Ducks, the St Louis Blues and especially the Chicago Blackhawks who have extended the contracts of their stars Jonathan Toews (195 goals in 484 games with the Blackhawks) and Eight-year-old Patrick Kane.
“They are special players, they could have gone for even better contracts elsewhere, but it shows that they still want to win with this team“, recalled Joel Quenneville, their coach.
In the East, the Bostons Bruins are still terrifying this season after losing their chances in 2013-14 (best team in the regular season but elimination in the second round of the play-offs).
Same vengeful state of mind for Pittsburgh of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. But with a new coach and a rejuvenated squad, the Penguins should struggle to clinch the title.
Also follow the New York Rangers, surprise guests of the 2014 final, the Tampa Bay Lightning with Steven Stamkos who missed a good part of last season due to injury and the Montreal Canadiens.
The ultimate ingredient to make this season even more exciting, the NHL has decided to equip certain players with miniature cameras to provide spectacular images and closer to the action.
