Kings vs. Blackhawks: 3 things you need to know

It's deja-vu in the Western Conference finals. The Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks will meet for the second consecutive season to determine who will represent the West in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Kings and Blackhawks have three Stanley Cup championships between them over the last four seasons, so neither team is short on playoff experience. Chicago downed Los Angeles in five games last year, but the Kings have showed more resilience in this postseason after recovering from a three-game losing skid in each of the first two rounds.

Here are three things you need to know before Game 1 on Sunday at Chicago:

Plenty of firepower on both teams

Los Angeles is the top-scoring team through the first two rounds, averaging 3.21 goals in their comeback series victories over the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks. Anze Kopitar leads the postseason with 19 points, forming a formidable duo with Marian Gaborik, whose nine goals are three more than any player has on the Blackhawks.

That doesn't mean Chicago's scoring is lacking. Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell both have six goals, and neither plays on the top line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa. The difference in total offense comes down to puck possession, which is improving for the Kings while the Blackhawks struggle to find consistency.

[Source: ExtraSkater.com]

If the Kings continue to control the puck, they stand a chance against the team that defeated them in nine of their last 11 meetings.

Conn Smythe Crawford

Chicago is not a team that usually relies on its goaltender to win a series - Antti Niemi rode a .910 save percentage to a Cup victory with the Blackhawks in 2010 - but Corey Crawford is leading all remaining netminders with a 1.97 goals-against average and .931 save percentage.

Crawford shut the door after allowing four goals in each of his first two starts this postseason, limiting opponents to fewer than three goals in seven of his next 10 appearances. Crawford showed excellent positioning throughout Chicago's second-round series against the Minnesota Wild, recovering to rob players like Zach Parise and Justin Fontaine with secondary efforts:

Kane suggested Crawford deserved the Conn Smythe Trophy after Kane was awarded it in 2013. If Crawford can shut down Los Angeles and outplay 2012 Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick, he should be a frontrunner this year.

Special teams, divisional records favor Chicago

The Kings weren't the only team Chicago enjoyed playing in the Pacific Division. The Blackhawks went 14-1-6 against the Pacific during the regular season and outscored Los Angeles 9-to-4 as part of a three-game season series sweep. The Kings, meanwhile, finished 9-10-3 against Chicago and the Central Division.

Chicago also boasted the best penalty kill through the first two rounds, sitting above 91 percent after limiting Minnesota to two goals on 17 opportunities. Los Angeles went 2-for-6 with the man advantage in Game 7 against Anaheim and is 6-3 when its power play scores this postseason, which could become an issue against the Blackhawks.

The Kings are the most-penalized team in the playoffs, with 73 minor infractions through two rounds and an 83.9 percent penalty-killing efficiency. If Chicago can force Los Angeles to rely on even-strength scoring while exploiting the Kings' penalty-prone style of play, the Blackhawks will likely have a shot to become the first repeat Stanley Cup champion since the Detroit Red Wings in 1998.

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