The L.A. Kings don't seem to have any Seattle Seahawks in them.
At least, not when it comes to taking shots at their opponent. The Kings, arguably the Hawks' most stubborn rival of late, are quick to sing Chicago's praises. The teams have made clashing in the Western Conference finals a regular thing, with the Hawks winning the series and the Cup in 2013 and the Kings flipping that script last season.
Kings defenseman and 2015 All-Star Drew Doughty readily acknowledges the Hawks' plentiful offensive threats.
"They're obviously probably the best team in the league," he said. "They're always tough to play against. They have so many assets on that team that make them a good team that it's tough to play against. There's so many guys you have to worry about, so many guys you have to shut down."
The Hawk to worry about the most this season is Patrick Kane, who was an alternate captain on Team Foligno along with Doughty during All-Star weekend and sits at third in league in points with 51.
"You [have] to play him a little differently than most people," Doughty said. "He's obviously quick. He's got great hands, great vision. You don't want to give him too much room, but at the same time if you chase him, he's going to make you look stupid. He's tough to play against and one of the best players right now."
However, if fans are hoping the glitz and glamour Hawks fans bestow upon their team with All-Star votes and sold-out games will faze opponents, that's not necessarily the case.
"They definitely have a bigger fan base than we do," Doughty said. "You can see with all them being in the starting [All-Star] lineup. They have a lot of fans that are supporting them to put them in those positions. As Kings players, we don't mind that. We'd rather be sitting behind the Blackhawks, giving them all the attention. Then when the playoffs come around and we face them, that's our opportunity to beat them. As players, we don't mind that. We're fine with staying in the shadow, it doesn't bother us."
Kings forward and fellow 2015 NHL All-Star Anze Kopitar believes his team needs to keep it simple when facing a high-caliber opponent and heated rival such as the Hawks.
"I think we just look at it the way we've always done," he said. "We have to worry about ourselves. We don't have to worry about anything else outside our locker room. As long as we bring every single possible thing that we can to the table, I think that's all we can do really."
Kopitar also realizes to go capture a third Stanley Cup in recent seasons before Chicago does, the Hawks will be standing in their way.
"It seems you got to go through Chicago to go far, yes," he said. "And hopefully they feel the same way about us because we've had a couple of conference finals now, so we'll see."
Scott King is a RedEye special contributor.
WEDNESDAY'S GAME
Blackhawks at Los Angeles
9:30 p.m. CSN