Conn Smythe 2013 MVP Candidates, Predictions - NHL Playoffs: Jonathan Quick Leads LA Kings After Two Rounds

The Los Angeles Kings will play another round. Despite some frightening moments against the San Jose Sharks, the defending champions continued to prove why they are contenders for the Stanley Cup. A number of players have stepped up to lead the charge throughout the first two series. Here are the MVP candidates for the Los Angeles Kings after two rounds.

Jonathan Quick

A year ago, Quick led the team to the Stanley Cup with a tremendous 1.41 goals against average and a .946 save percentage. Heading into Tuesday's Game 7, he had a 1.55 GAA and a tremendous .947 save percentage. He only allowed one goal in that game and stopped 25-26 shots (96.2 percent) and has made huge stops in vital moments and has singlehandedly won games for his team in this round.

Slava Voynov

The defender had two huge game winners against the St. Louis Blues in the first round and continued his stellar play against the Sharks. Aside from being tremendous in the defensive zone, Voynov picked up two huge points in Game 7. He is fourth in scoring on the team in the postseason. Most surprising of all is that Voynov has not taken a single penalty minute in the postseason.

Other Candidates: Mike Richards leads LA in scoring with 10 points in the postseason and landed two points against the Sharks. His linemate Jeff Carter is second on the team with eight points in 13 games. Carter also struggled against the Sharks. Anze Kopitar had three points in the series against San Jose and looked more confident as the series wore on; he has seven points this postseason.

MVP Choice: The Kings have been fortunate to get offensive contributions across the board. However, the team would never be in this situation if not for the mesmerizing play of Quick. He was the guiding force behind the Cup run a year ago and has been even better this season.