If Kopitar was playing i would still say Sharks in 5. The Sharks have elite forwards , solid defense, and good goaltending in Niemi. No way do the Kings beat these guys with Kopitar and Williams, and Kovalchuk thrown in. Yeah i know Kovalchuk signed with Jersey it was a joke. Quick played too many games already hes ready to go golfing.

You never know. It's more of a gut feeling than anything. The top teams don't win every time. If you're a Sharks fan you should definitely know this.

Quick wasn't worked as hard as he was last year, so he should be fresher for the playoffs. I like the Kings overall combo of goaltending/defense better than the Sharks. The odds aren't in the Kings favour (especially without Kopitar) but I just wouldn't take them lightly.

Nope i'm a Ducks fan. I've seen the Sharks and Kings plenty this year being in the area to attend games. I would assume it will go like the ducks/kings games this weekend. The kings have scored 6 goals in their last 19 games which is atrocious. If you can't score there is no way you beat san jose. Also i gotta roll with The Duck against the preds also. Should be alot better series than the sharks/kings series in my estimation. Playoff hockey is gonna kick ass this year.

San Jose are notoriously terrible playoff choke artists. I however do think this year they'll fair a little better. I'll be watching the first 6 days of Playoffs in hospital unfortunately...splenectomy tomorrow morning. 7 days of hospital recovery before I can go home. Morphene and hockey.

While I love this assessment I still think this series is close. It worries me a bit that the Kings are getting no love from the "experts" and fans alike. Dustin Brown is terribly underrated and they have a skillful defense and potentially solid netminder. I like Sharks in 6 or 7. I'm also glad we were able to avoid a matchup against your Ducks... now is not the time to go Duck huntin'. I would not want to face the Perry-Getzlaf line the way they've played recently, and those dudes have always outmatched Thornton's lines. Now we avoid you unless we both make the WC Finals. Good luck Anaheim F-cks :)

I think this series is a blowout for the guppies. The kings aren't getting any love because they can't score goals period. Dustin Brown always struck me as a guy that scores goals when you don't need them in games they blow people out in. With Williams coming back off a dislocated shoulder they are still gonna be pressing for goals, they were all year long. I never thought of him as underrated, i used to prefer his older style when he used to hit people his initial few seasons.

The Ducks are really rolling in their last 25 games or so, but nashville is also. They present a good matchup for the ducks, they play that Minnesota wing lock/ trap as good as anybody can and they have a decent amount of people that can score. Should be a great series to watch.

He still puts the licks on, 3rd in the league in hits this year- but noted. I just think 30 goal 300 hits and way + is a money contribution. I'm more confident in playing the Kings than either the Ducks or Preds- in fact, those were the only two first round matchups I was worried about so I'm glad they are going head to head. Agree it will be a great, fun series. ****, five game 1's tomorrow- CAN'T WAIT

I think i am just slightly biased because he was drafted before perry and getzlaf that year and touted so highly and hes basically a two way forward with average ablity near net. I can see where people would like his grit and he does give everything hes got every game which is kudos to him.

I didn't want the Ducks to play the Predators honestly they have done pretty well against anaheim this year. Granted one of the games was without getzlaf when he was out. But Barry Trotz has them primed and ready. Can't wait to watch some hockey manana. I hope SJ paste the kings in 4, my kings friends will lose their **** over it.

That '03 draft was basically a free-for-all for picking up great players. I don't know who's comparing Brown to Getzlaf and Perry though. They're all very good players but Getzlaf and Perry are on another level. I don't think anyone would argue that.

Oh it goes back to that draft day and some trash talk between a few king friends and me. He was drafted ahead of getzlaf and perry is the reason it all started. Its been abundantly clear for years that the ducks got the best of ol dave taylor on that one.