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Might as well call the Kings the “road warriors”

Dwight King, Mike Richards

Los Angeles Kings’ Dwight King (74) celebrates his goal against the Phoenix Coyotes with teammate Mike Richards (10) during the second period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference finals, Sunday, May 13, 2012, in Glendale, Ariz.(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

AP

When you’re the eighth seed in the playoffs in either conference, being able to win on the road is something you must be able to do to move on. The Los Angeles Kings have found a way to not just be good at winning away from Staples Center, they’ve perfected it.

After taking out Phoenix in Game 1 last night, the Kings improved to 6-0 on the road in the playoffs. Mind you, the Kings have lost just once in the postseason as it is, a Game 4 loss to Vancouver in the first round, but with how L.A. is handling their business away from home you’d think their inspiration for winning was named Mad Max.

In their six road wins, the Kings are outscoring their home-ice advantaged opponents 22-10. It doesn’t take a math whiz to figure out scoring twice as many goals as your rival means you’re doing pretty darn well.

L.A. is averaging better than 3.5 goals per game and with how the playoffs have gone this year is usually more than cozy enough get you the win. Being able to put that many goals on the board against regular season stalwarts like Roberto Luongo, Brian Elliott and Mike Smith is impressive. Having Jonathan Quick on the Kings’ side to make it all stand up is why L.A. is making things look relatively simple.