NEWARK, NJ – Up to this point for Los Angeles, it has been a relatively smooth sail through the playoffs. Despite not have home ice advantage in any series, the Kings have approached each game as an opportunity to win regardless of which team calls the rink home. After securing their number eight seed on the last weekend of the season, Los Angeles went to work pounding opponents with their speed and size.
After dispatching number one seed Vancouver in five games, number two seed St. Louis in four straight and number three see Phoenix in five games, Los Angeles raced to a three-game lead against New Jersey. The first two games were close with New Jersey nearly claiming both in what would have been a commanding series lead. Los Angeles nailed down victories using extra time and goals by Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter in the extra frame.
The Kings opened their home portion of the series with a dominant 4-0 thumping. With a Championship which could have been won on their doorstep, though, Los Angeles couldn’t close the door allowing the Devils to capture a 3-1 win and send the Final back to New Jersey.
In the two series where Los Angeles allowed their opponent a win, it came in Game Four in what was nothing more than a blip in a near-perfect series win. Now in the fourth round, the Kings have ceded Game Four to New Jersey and look to continue the trend of winning a series in five games.
To understand how remarkable the Kings run has been, consider they are only the second team to eliminate the #1, #2 and #3 seeds. The only other team was the 2003-04 Calgary Flames which were led by Kings Coach Daryl Sutter.
With a record of 15-3, the Kings post-season record is second only to the 1988 Edmonton Oilers. Also, Los Angeles had tied the all-time record for road wins in a playoff series with ten. Their next road win will not only break the record, but allow them to capture their first Stanley Cup.
With momentum having carried the team to Game Four and then getting stopped by New Jersey in Game Five, some have expressed concern of how a team on such a roll getting abruptly stopped in their tracks my rebound.
When asked to compare his team’s demeanor going into Game Five, Kings Coach Daryl Sutter said, “ You know what, we haven’t changed. I haven’t seen a big change in our team emotionally for almost two months now. I think we’ve been able to handle different situations. I think they’ve learned, because of the breaks we had before Series 2 and before Series 3, the breaks they had, they had to learn to get their space, get back to being focused and reloaded. They’ve done a good job of that. You leave it to your veterans, reinforce it with the kids.”
Knowing the Kings come back to New Jersey a little beaten on a night where Los Angeles could have lifted the Cup, When Sutter was asked the best way for the Kings to make sure that the Devils don’t begin to play with a ton of confidence, he responded, “ Well, I don’t think our team is going to struggle with confidence. We’re not concerned with their confidence, and they’re not really concerned the other way, right? So I don’t think that’s really an issue. I think it’s the Final, and that’s why they’re here.”
Sutter continued, “You know, like we tell the players, I said it to you guys, really the series could be 2-2 or 1-3. There hasn’t been a gap in it. You look at the first two games, six periods of 2-1 hockey. The other night is 1-1 with just a few minutes left. There’s not enough of a gap. You look at the third game, the shutout game, there’s no score. Second period, you know, you score the two. There’s not enough of a difference in the series. Brodeur was awesome I think the other night. We need probably Jonathan to be that tomorrow.”
The Kings conducted practice Friday afternoon and appeared loose and with a great deal of energy. Sutter ran them through end-to-end breakout and neutral ice transition drills for forty minutes. The team enjoyed some good natured humor during the practice, but despite the lightness of the team, it was clear they were serious about getting down to business in Game Five. The puck drops at the Prudential Center Saturday night at 8:00 PM (ET).
Contact: dennis.morrell@prohockeynews.com
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