The Kings sit in first place in the crazy Pacific Division of the wild Western Conference. Taking a look at the standings on NHL.com, we can see how convoluted the division is. Anaheim is out, but four of the five teams in the division still have a chance to win the division and grab the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Without delving into all the playoff possibilities, we can see by looking at the standings that there are only three seeds the Kings could possibly get. The Kings could still get the third seed by winning their division. In the NHL playoff system, division winners are get the first three seeds regardless of their point total.
Even though the Kings have a lower point total than the Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks, the Kings would be seeded third should they be able to hold on to the top spot in the division.
Los Angeles could also get the seventh or eighth seeds should they fall out of the division lead but are still able to hold onto one of the playoff spots.
Since the No. 1 seed plays the No. 8 seed, No. 2 and No. 7 play and No. 3 faces No. 6, we know that the Kings can only play the first, second or sixth seeds.
Vancouver and St. Louis have first and second locked up so they could both be first-round opponents if the Kings slipped to seventh or eighth in the conference. Detroit, Nashville and Chicago could all end up in sixth so these teams could also be first-round opponents if the Kings hold onto the No. 3 seed.
Therefore, there are five possible first-round opponents for the Kings: Vancouver, St. Louis, Detroit, Nashville and Chicago.
In the following slides, I will power-rank these teams from No. 5 to No. 1 from t...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
