For the first time in eight years, the playoffs are back at Staples Center and the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Vancouver Canucks in an action-packed game. Here, Keith and Chris talk about the atmosphere at Staples Center and re-cap game three of the playoff series. Question of the Day: Do we continue to bench Justin Williams for the series?

With the 2010 Playoffs in full gear, the Los Angeles Kings continue their battle against the Vancouver Canucks in Game 2 of the series. KingsCast breaks down the game, captures the roller coaster of emotions from fans and celebrates something that hasn’t happened in 8 years, a playoff win.

That’s right, folks, the season ain’t over..yet. The Los Angeles Kings, for the first time in eight years (and four years of the show) have finally made the playoffs. In this episode we talk about the upcoming matchup with the Vancouver Canucks, give our ideas for fan giveaways and take your questions from Twitter and Facebook. So settle back and listen to the hockey talk!

 

 Not the Season Finale...Yet [29:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

With the (regular) season coming to a close, the Los Angeles Kings battle for Playoff positioning for the first time since 2002. KingsCast celebrates the post-season berth, discusses goaltending, roster issues and gives props to all the fans. Question of the Day; What players jerseys should we buy for the playoffs?

Rough one at Staples Center tonight. A potential matchup between the Los Angeles Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes ended badly in the shootout. Jonathan Quick was “fine” but he didn’t carry the Kings on his back tonight. Adding insult to injury, Jason LaBarbara took Phoenix the distance into the shootout. The Kings got a point so it looks like we’ll end up fifth or sixth in the playoffs. How would this game be different in a 5-on-5 in the playoffs?

What an ugly game last night. Randy Jones, Sean O’Donnell and Jonathan Quick were absolutely awful. It took a period and a half but the Kings remembered how to play hockey again. Erik Ersberg was outstanding in overtime and Dustin Brown showed why he wears the “C”. For the first time since the lockout, the Los Angeles Kings are in the playoffs and the Anaheim Ducks are not.

Keith and Chris are back talking LA Kings hockey. In this episode we take you back to 2005-2006 to experience our agony of what it’s like to barely miss the playoffs. We also introduce a brand new segment entitled “If I Were…” and talk a little goaltending. Question of the Day: Who Should be the Backup Goaltender Going into the Playoffs?

Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty, like most Los Angeles Kings fans, media, etc is pissed. This team isn’t giving the effort they should be. Check out his latest commentary with some great quotes (by Dustin Brown, especially.

LOS ANGELES — Given that the Los Angeles Kings are just 4-6-3 since the Olympic break and have put in mostly poor efforts since that time, one can imagine what an advertisement in the Lost and Found section of the local newspapers might look like:

LOST: Intensity, effort, urgency, enthusiasm. If found, please contact the Los Angeles Kings immediately.

Although their malaise began before the Olympic break, the two-week hiatus killed any momentum the Kings had going into the stretch drive for the playoffs.

“I think it was the break,” head coach Terry Murray lamented. “To me, it’s mental. This is an attitude game at this time of the year. Twenty percent talent, eighty percent attitude, and I think our attitude slipped over the break.”

Murray added that his team is not the only one suffering from this affliction.

“It’s around the league, it’s not just the LA Kings,” he said. “You’re seeing some teams taking a step back from where they were pre-Olympics. As a result, you get into these critical games and you don’t know how to shut’em down.”

Of course, some teams have been hit harder than others by the lag after the Olympics. Nevertheless, the Kings are right up there with those hit the hardest, and, to make matters worse, goaltender Jonathan Quick, who has been the Kings’ best player in many games this season, has been mostly mediocre since the break.

Although Quick represented the United States during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, he was their third goaltender and got no quality practice time in before jumping right back into the fray with the Kings.

In short, he was rusty upon his return to National Hockey League action and has not regained top form, despite what his 2.38 goals-against average and .910 save percentage since the Kings returned to action would seem to indicate. Indeed, what is more revealing is that Quick has had five games since the break in which his save percentage dipped well under the .900 mark.

But just as significant, if not more so, has been the lack of intensity and enthusiasm from the skaters in front of him.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

With tonight’s loss to the Dallas Stars, the Kings have now fallen to the 7th seed in the Western Conference. With 90 points, the Kings are one point ahead of the 8th place Colorado Avalanche and one point behind of the 6th place Detroit Red Wings. There isn’t a whole lot of pressure coming from the 9th seed Calgary Flames, as the Kings are simply fighting for playoff stature. But what came from tonight’s loss? Nothing positive. A reassurance of LA’s cold offense and their struggling defense. Goals have been hard to come by lately for the Kings, and struggles in the net have begun to show. Do I dare blame Terry Murray? Yes. He’s absolutely butchered any of Ersberg’s confidence, and has over-played Jonathan Quick. Folks, it’s starting to show, and I knew it all along. If Erik Ersberg doesn’t get the call a couple of times before the post-season, it’s going to be a short playoff-outing for the Kings. How many times do I have to say it? A backup goalie in the playoffs is a huge factor. Terry Murray has killed any chance of this being a helper to the Kings come the playoffs. Enough with this, I could go on forever, and get quite angry. Here are my notes on tonight’s game.

Notes on the game:
– Let’s start this out on a positive note. As for the Kings only goal tonight, how many times have we seen this sequence? Drew Doughty to Anze Kopitar on the sideboards, a hard wrister on net for a Michal Handzus rebound goal? Music to my ears, eye candy. Beautiful goal, an unfortunate high-point to tonight’s game.
– The Stars came out with a vengeance in the 2nd period. Dallas was able to capitalize on 3 of their 9 shots in the period, setting their tone to the game. The carousel that was the Stars power-play began to run in full-force. With three second period power-play goals, and four overall, the Stars keyed in on a struggling Kings penalty-kill.
– Former King Brandon Segal had a couple of solid scoring chances tonight.
– The Dallas Stars earned their first victory in tonight’s Pacific Division season-series finale.
– Every goal was recorded on the power-play. Tough outing for the Kings, as they only capitalized on 1 of 7 power-play opportunites, and allowed 4 goals when a man-down.

St. Louis managed to maintain their slim playoff chances tonight with a victory over the Kings. The Kings, who have now lost two consecutive affairs, have fallen to the 6th spot in the Western Conference standings. Did the Kings play poorly tonight? Far from it. Are they continuing to struggle on the offensive end? Yes, and you can sum up tonight’s loss on that. The Kings failed to make a statement with the multiple special teams opportunities, only capitalizing on one of seven power-plays; which happened to come off of a St. Louis turnover. Jonathan Quick, coming off of a terrible outing in Colorado, played decent. The defense in front of Quick wasn’t great, and when coupled with a cold offense, you get a turnout such as we saw tonight. With 9 games to go in the regular season, and a playoff spot almost solidified, these final games are crucial to get this team back on track. As for tonight, not the type of performance playoff hockey welcomes. Below are my notes on the game:

Notes on the game:
– Davis Drewiske needs to make sure that puck stays in the zone, or on his stick for that matter. When you’re the last guy in, all intentions to keep the puck inside the zone must be upheld. Tough break here, as B.J. Crombeen was able to beat Jonathan Quick on a 2 on 1.
– The Kings power-play, especially in the 1st period, failed tonight. With almost six minutes of time on the man-advantage, and fourteen overall, you need to take advantage. Good teams do this, the Kings have showed they can, but not tonight. Some kinks need to be worked out during these final 9 games.
– Speaking of special teams, good job by Dustin Brown to jump on a Barrett Jackman turnover, and release a quick shot from in-close to beat St. Louis goaltender Chris Mason.
– Two of St. Louis’ goals came off of rebounds in front of Jonathan Quick. Were both necessarily to fault on Kings defensemen? Not completely, but better coverage in front of the crease is needed when shots are put on net.
– With the Calgary Flames losing to the New York Islanders tonight, the Kings magic number is now 10.