Raffi Torres' Suspension Too Weak Given His History

Raffi Torres has been suspended for the remainder of the Western Conference Semifinals for his hit on Jarret Stoll. (Chris Williams)

It did not take Raffi Torres long to find his next target to be the recipient of one his infamous vicious hits. During Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, Los Angeles Kings center Jarret Stoll skated with his head slightly lowered in front of him. Torres did not take a path to the hit that would have made it body-to-body, but instead drove through Stoll's head with his shoulder. The hit sent Stoll sprawling to the ice.

The punishment for Torres would be decided by Brendan Shanahan. Ordinarily, this may have only been a one or two game suspension, but not when it is Torres. Shanahan knows him all to well. Torres has a rap sheet of priors and is a repeat offender when it comes to dirty hits. Shanahan knew he must make his decision have an impact.

With Stoll likely out for the remainder of the Western Conference Semifinals with head injury, Shanahan decided that a fair punishment would be take Torres out for the same length of time. Today, Torres was suspended for the remainder of the series with the Kings. Whatever that exact number of games ends up being remains unknown.

I see Shanahan's reasoning here. Stoll is out for the series, so take Torres out as well. The principle of an eye for an eye. My problem with the sentence is it simply isn't enough. This is not Torres' first dirty hit. You only have to look back as far as last postseason when he was suspended 25 games for his brutally vicious hit on Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa.

Shanahan's job title is the NHL's Senior VP for Player Safety. He has done his job of protecting the rest of the Kings' players. What happens if the Sharks win this series? This suspension does nothing to protect the Chicago Blackhawks' players or the Detroit Red Wings' players. There is no protection for them, unless their is another suspendable hit by Torres.

Torres is a dirty player. There is no other way to see it. Until he proves that has really changed, no one is going to believe him otherwise. Torres needs to learn from the Pittsburgh Penguins' Matt Cooke. Cooke was a dirty player, but the Penguins told him he had to clean up his act. Cooke has played the game the way it is meant to be played ever since. The NHL must do everything it can to protect its players. That means that the league's suspensions of Torres should be getting more severe every time, until he learns his lesson.

KIngs Win First Stanley Cup in 45 Year Team History

The Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings celebrate. (Christian Petersen)

For years and years, the Los Angeles Kings had used excuses for why they couldn't win the Stanley Cup. Too many injuries. Too tough of a travel schedule. The warm weather didn't promote hockey. The fans and media didn't push the team enough to win. However, those excuses went out the window when the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007. The Kings meanwhile were in yet another rebuilding stage. They decided to fire their popular general manager Dave Taylor and elected to hire former San Jose Sharks general manager Dean Lombardi.

One of the first things Lombardi noticed was the lack of a great goaltender. He commented, "I'm amazed this franchise hasn't developed its own goalie over 40 years." His first season the Kings tried five different goaltenders. The next season seven more netminders, including a young goalkeeper the team drafted named Jonathan Quick. Quick played just three games that season, but by the time last season came to an end, he played in 72 of the Kings' 82 regular season games. He was one of the main reasons why that team made the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

The Kings had high expectations to build upon that success this season. They built a solid core of players with the likes of Quick, Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Dustin Penner, and Dustin Brown. However, those playoff hopes looked in doubt when the team went dry offensively down the stretch. The only man keeping them in the playoff race was Quick. Despite finishing next to last in goals scored in the league, the Kings managed to scrape into the playoffs in the eighth and final spot.

In their opening round series against the top seed Vancouver Canucks, the Kings put all of those offensive struggles behind them. In Game 1 and 2 in Vancouver, the Kings scored a combined eight goals. They also turned up their defensive intensity. They dismissed the Canucks in just five games. Next, they dominated and swept the St. Louis Blues. In the Western Conference Finals, the Kings eliminated the Phoenix Coyotes in five. In the Stanley Cup, it was more of the same. The Kings took the first three games by displaying great toughness. The New Jersey Devils responded with two wins, but the Kings showed their dominance once again in their decisive 6-1 win in Game 6.

It is true that the Kings' offensive lines and definsive duos stepped up in the playoffs, but there is one man who carried this team the whole way. That was Jonathan Quick. His goaltending dominance and complete focus cannot be denied. In 20 playoff games, Quick only gave up more than two goals in just three games. As a result, the Kings were never really out of a game. That builds the confidence of the team and helps to give them the opportunities they need. The Los Angeles Kings dominated the playoffs like no one could have expected. They won four playoff series in just 20 games. That kind of dominance is relatively unbelievable. The Kings definitely deserved the Stanley Cup. The franchise's first in their 45 year history.

Stanley Cup Finals Preview and Prediction

On the eve of the Stanley Cup Finals, I will breakdown the matchup of the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils, by looking at advantages and key players for both teams. I will conclude with my prediction of who I believe will hoist the Stanley Cup this season.

Goaltending Matchup: Jonathan Quick & Martin Brodeur

Kings: Jonathan Quick
Quick had an excellent regular season, but his postseason has been extraordinary. In the playoffs, he holds a 12-2 record, with a 1.54 GAA and a .946 save percentage. Quick rarely has a bad game, and as a result, the Kings never seem to be out of it.

Devils: Martin Brodeur
Brodeur may be the greatest goalie in NHL history, but does he still have it at age 40? He definitely made some mistakes in the series with the Rangers, but the Devils still moved on.  Brodeur's statistics might not be as good as Quick, but the bottomline is that he is a winner.

Advantage: Even

Defensemen Matchup: Drew Doughty & Bryce Salvador

Kings' Defensemen
Drew Doughty is the headliner for what has been a stellar defensive group. Veterans Willie Mitchell, Rob Scuderi, and Matt Greene are playing some of the best hockey of their careers as well. Sophomore Alec Martinez and rookie Slava Voynoy have shown calm nerves so far. This unit plays physical, lockdown defense. Through 14 games in the playoffs, they have only given up more than two goals only twice.

Devils' Defensemen
Bryce Salvador's 11 points lead all defensemen in the Finals. Anton Volchenkov and Marek Zidlicky are a pair of blueliners who let little by them. Andy Greene and Mark Fayne have played notably well as well. This group has gotten progressively better throughout the playoffs.

Advantage: Kings

Forwards Matchup: Dustin Brown & Ilya Kovalchuk

Kings' Forwards
In my opinion, the Kings top line of Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, and Justin Williams has been the best line in the playoffs. The midseason acquisition of Jeff Carter has proved to be a dandy, as the Kings reunited him with former teammate Mike Richards. The two of them form another dynamic line with Dustin Penner.

Devils' Forwards
Ilya Kovalchuk is of the big name in this group, but the Devils have been getting contributions from many players. Zach Parise and Dainius Zubrus have played very well. You can never forget veteran Patrik Elias. Rookie Adam Henrique scored the winning goal in the Rangers series.

Advantage: Kings


Prediction
Anything is possible in this year's playoffs. Who would have guessed we would end up with the Kings, the #8 seed in the West, and the Devils, the #6 in the East, in the Finals? That being said, the Kings have been the more dominant team up until this point. I believe that will be the case as well in this hard fought battle. The Kings have generated offense across the board, and the willingness of their forwards to forecheck has been crucial to the team's success. Their defense has been rock solid, and the consistency of Jonathan Quick has been incredible. What I have liked most about the Kings in the playoffs is the fact that they never seem to be out of it. They rarely trail by a large margin, which means they also have a shot at winning. I believe the Kings will prevail in an entertaining and exciting series.

My prediction: Kings in 6 games

NHL Playoff Scenarios a Plenty Coming Into Final Day

Thursday was certainly a big day for the NHL. All sixteen teams locked their place in the playoffs. However, there is still a lot of seeding to be determined in the teams' final games Saturday. All thirty teams will be in action for just the 4th time in NHL history. There are 29 potential first-round playoff series matchups. The talented folks at NHL.com put together this chart, so that you can easily see all of them. I will try and breakdown and explain some of the possible implications of Saturday's games.

The Presidents' Trophy is up for grabs. The St. Louis Blues (107 points) came into Friday trailing the Vancouver Canucks (109 points) and New York Rangers (109 points) for the lead. A win on Friday would make it a three-way tie with all three teams playing decisive games on Saturday. The tiebreaker is total wins, which means the Rangers hold the edge with 51. The winner gets guaranteed home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

Blogger Update: The Phoenix Coyotes defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-1 Friday night. This eliminates the Blues from Presidents' Trophy contention. The Coyotes now lead the Pacific Division and have the correlated #3 seed.

With a win Friday, the Phoenix Coyotes would take the Pacific Division lead with 95 points. The Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks are both in contention for the division title as well with 94 points heading into Saturday's games. On Thursday, the Kings beat the Sharks 6-5 in a shootout at home. On Saturday, the teams faceoff again in San Jose. The Coyotes play at the Minnesota Wild in their final game. The division winner will get the #3 seed for the playoffs and home ice for the first-round.

The Southeast Division title is still able to be won. The Florida Panthers have had the lead for awhile, but they saw their lead shrink to just two points when the Washington Capitals defeated them on Thursday. The Panthers play the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, but are just 1-3-5 in their last nine games. The Capitals will win the division if they beat the New York Rangers on Saturday and the Panthers lose to the Hurricanes. These two teams are fighting for the pride that comes with the division title, the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the first-round home ice that comes with it.

2012 NHL Playoff Hunt

With the season drawing to a close, teams fight for a playoff berth. I breakdown the teams in the hunt for the last remaining spots.

Eastern Conference

Clinched Playoff Spot

New York Rangers (103 points)

Pittsburgh Penguins (100 points)

Philadelphia Flyers (96 points)

Should Be In

Boston Bruins (93 points)

Florida Panthers (89 points)

New Jersey Devils (92 points)

On the Bubble

Ottawa Senators (88 points)

• 5 games remaining
• 2 home, 3 away
• 3 vs. quality teams
• 5 vs. Eastern Conference opponents

Buffalo Sabres (86 points)

• 5 games remaining
• 2 home, 3 away
• 3 vs. quality teams
• 5 vs. Eastern Conference opponents

Washington Capitals ( 84 points)

• 5 games remaining
• 2 home, 3 away
• 4 vs. quality teams
• 5. vs. Eastern Conference opponents

Western Conference

Clinched Playoff Spot

St. Louis Blues (105 points)

Vancouver Canucks (101 points)

Detroit Red Wings (97 points)

Should Be In

Nashville Predators (96 points)

Chicago Blackhawks (93 points)

On the Bubble

San Jose Sharks (88 points)

• 6 games remaining
• 2 home, 4 away
• 5 vs. quality teams
• 6 vs. Western Conference opponents

Dallas Stars (87 points)

• 6 games remaining
• 2 home, 4 away
• 5 vs. quality teams
• 6 vs. Western Conference opponents

Phoenix Coyotes (87 points)

• 5 games remaining
• 3 home, 2 away
• 2 vs. quality teams
• 5 vs. Western Conference opponents

Los Angeles Kings (86 points)

• 6 games remaining
• 2 home, 4 away
• 3 vs. quality teams
• 6 vs. Western Conference opponents

Colorado Avalanche (86 points)

• 4 games remaining
• 2 home, 2 away
• 3 quality teams
• 4 vs. Western Conference opponents

Calgary Flames (85 points)

• 5 games remaining
• 4 home, 1 away
• 4 vs. quality teams
• 5 vs. Western Conference opponents