.

Those Phoenix fans wear white at home for the playoffs.

It must be an effort to add some sort of kick to the building’s atmosphere or something I guess. That’s cute.

Meanwhile, their team got worn out, just got outright beat in every facet of the game by the Kings in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals Sunday night. The Kings showed no signs of letting their 7-day hiatus slow them down. In fact, they came out playing absolutely out of their minds.

Dwight King‘s got the name, don’t call it fame. Give him a sharpie to sign that “whiteout”.

Can’t stop, won’t stop.

Temperatures exceeded 100 degrees in Glendale, but Kopi’s getting nippy

- Game 1 Looks -

They’ve started this third-round tilt on a tear, peppering Mike Smith with a whopping 48 shots, beating him genuinely three times, with many more chances that hinged on a bounce or a break.

The Kings are now 6-0 on the road in the postseason, they’re 9-1 in total, and have just momentarily stolen home-ice from the Western Conference‘s 3rd-seed club. This, after dropping both the #1 and #2 seeds in utterly stunning fashion.

Two big names for the Kings came through again on Sunday, Anze Kopitar starting the Kings’ scoring, potting a back-hand upstairs, while Dustin Brown tallied the game-winning goal on a beautifully-placed shot that handcuffed Mike Smith.

And then there’s Dwight King, who’s become a staple on the Kings’ second line after spending the majority of the season with the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL. King has shown it in all aspects since his late season call-up. He’s been a menace in all three zones, and has the speed and scoring touch you don’t see too often from guys his size.

He continues his impressive trend by potting two goals Sunday night – beautifully reading a 2-on-1 with Mike Richards to notch the Kings second goal, then sealing the deal with an empty-netter. You talk about a huge late-season addition, you talk Dwight King – very much so for his Rookie counterpart Jordan Nolan. The Granite State’s been great.

Jonathan Quick played very well once again, but didn’t see too much action from the Phoenix offense. Quick stopped 25 of 27 Coyotes’ shots to seal his 9th postseason win. The big story may be his flub on Derek Morris‘ goal from center ice, but if there’s any goalie due for a slip-up, it’s Quick. The factor here, neither Quick or the Kings faltered or surrendered momentum after the lapse.

Hold up now

- Game 2 Looks -

Head Balance: I’ve said it time and time again, and every time the Kings have proven themselves stable enough to feed off of early-series accomplishments. A Game 1 victory gets you nothing but just that, a win. You can only expect the Phoenix Coyotes to come out stronger Tuesday night, and they’re built to do that without surprise.

They’re going to make adjustments, which is something teams have failed at doing so far against the Kings this postseason. You’ve got to remember the goalie which they’re playing against, Mike Smith, and their well-known stingy defense. For the Kings to beat Phoenix’s attempt at making successful adjustments to their game, the Kings should make no adjustments.

You don’t change the way you’re playing right now, because it’s absolute gold.

Not to mention, the Coyotes are well-aware of how the Kings managed their two series’ with the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues, they’ve seen it. The goal here is to not allow them to change the pace the Kings are, and have been riding.

Final Notes

– The Kings have let opponents score two consecutive goals just once during the entire postseason, that being in their only playoff loss – Game 4 of their first-round mosey with the Vancouver Canucks. Responding to goals doesn’t just keep you at pace, it shuts down the opposition. That was huge Sunday night with Phoenix’s two tying tallies, and it will surely be a major factor again Tuesday.

– The powerplay has looked good, but hasn’t put up numbers. Man-advantage scoring is a huge bonus when we’re talking this matchup, the Kings need to spark it. You can’t look for too much, though. The Kings shut down Phoenix’s powerplay last night, and have allowed only three man-advantage goals in the playoffs. The Kings have scored more times on the penalty kill (4 shorthanded goals) than they have allowed (3).

– A quick start is so valuable, a la seen in the Kings’ 1st period frenzy Sunday night – outshooting Phoenix 17-4. Strong starts can certainly set the tone, and that’s been the Kings’ tune for the most part. Don’t give Phoenix any room early.

–  The Kings topped their game-high total for shots on Sunday, this includes the regular season. With 48 shots, that climbs above their previous total of 44 against the Minnesota Wild in December. That’s a good sign, because if you’re going to beat Mike Smith, you need a heavy gauge of shots.

Desert King

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Take a ground-level look at this one, because it ain’t gonna come easy.

This third-round date calls for a club the Kings are all too familiar with. Or are they?

It’s the Phoenix Coyotes tomorrow night to kick-off the Western Conference Finals, and this Pacific Division foe is the only club that stands in the way of the Kings and a Stanley Cup Finals bid. Although the Kings have seen the Coyotes six times this season, these two clubs have changed face since the postseason hit.

If not changed, they’ve both certainly hit a stride no one has seen all year.

It’s a battle of two clubs who have keyed playoff success on phenomenal goaltending, outstanding defense, special teams’ success, and production from depth. You looked at the St. Louis Blues before last series, and you saw most of this. There’s a clear-cut difference when looking at Phoenix, they’re doing it in the postseason.

As for the Kings, they’re doing the same – if not better. It’s difficult to have any doubts about this Kings team right now, especially with the play of Drew Doughty. Play it back now.

Cactus practice

- Season Series -

As is the case with divisional opponents, the Kings met with the Phoenix Coyotes on six occasions during the regular season. The Kings had the upper hand, ending with a 4-1-2 record against Phoenix. Five of the six contests were decided by one goal, the other by just two. Three of the games went into extra time, and Jonathan Quick recorded two shutouts – Mike Smith with one.

Game Notes: Jonathan Quick would record his second consecutive shutout, stopping 28 Coyotes’ shots. Ironically, the one he recorded two nights prior to this game was against the St. Louis Blues. Dustin Brown would score the game-winner, and Kyle Clifford would add the insurance tallying the Kings’ 2nd goal – and it may be up for grabs as the most awesome celebration of the year. Not because it had style, but because they were freaking the f*ck out.

Game Notes: The Kings had won 5 of 6 games coming into this contest, but this would see them kick into a turn where they would lose 5 of the next 6 games. Anze Kopitar and Mike Richards with goals, but Radim Vrbata had two of his own – plus a Daymond Langkow OT clincher. Mike Smith was a wall, stopping 37 of 39 Kings shots.

Game Notes: Rob Scuderi would bury his only goal of the season in this contest, Willie Mitchell would follow suit chipping in with his second of five goals this season. The Kings amassed 35 shots on Mike Smith, Jonathan Quick stopped 26. Raffi Torres netted two goals for Phoenix, but the guy is a complete non-factor right now.

Game Notes: This was your typical match-up with the Coyotes. Boring, low-scoring, and probably on some crappy week-night. However, Drew Doughty ended things on exciting terms with his offensive zone rush goal. Not to be forgotten, Jonathan Quick nabbed his sixth shutout of the season, stopping all 22 Phoenix snips.

Game Notes: Goal-scoring woes shot the Kings in the foot again. Mike Smith stopped all 28 Kings’ shots, and Radim Vrbata snuck the game’s only goal past Jonathan Quick in the 2nd period. This would see the Kings and Coyotes tied for the Western Conference‘s 7th seed at the time.

Game Notes: The final matchup with the Sun Dogs, good habits turned bad, and bad habits turned good. The Kings found three early 1st period goals, but gave it up. This may have been Jonathan Quick‘s weakest game of the season, stopping 25 of 29 Phoenix shots.

- Series Look -

Starting on the same foot: It will have been an entire week since the Kings have played live-hockey come puck-drop Sunday night, ending their series with the Blues last weekend. Downtime is always a tricky variable to balance in the postseason. However, the Kings had six days off after their series win against the Vancouver Canucks, and showed up for Round 2 just fine. All are healthy, a stable mindset has been put in place by Darryl Sutter, the break in action should not cause any setback for this Kings club.

Stacking Bricks: As if Jonathan Quick wasn’t facing a good enough opposing goalie in Brian Elliott, him and the Kings now turn to standout Mike Smith. Smith, who’s regular season stats were stellar, has carried over that performance into the playoffs. Along with his .948 save percentage and 1.77 goals against, Smith has two shutouts to go with his 8-3 record in 11 playoff contests.

Quick ups the ante, though. He’s untouchable with an 8-1 record, chiming in with a .949 save percentage and 1.55 goals against. This is certainly going to be another series where the focus of outcome lays heavily on performances in the crease.

Depth’ll do it

From all faces: Balanced scoring from a roster is one of the most valuable commodities to have in postseason play. In fact, that may be the reason these two teams are surprising the NHL – output coming from defensemen and 3rd and 4th lines. Both the Kings and Coyotes have received wealthy contributions from their back-end players.

To really feed into how crucial it is, Justin Williams puts it best when addressing the importance of the 3rd and 4th lines in a postseason matchup:

“Sometimes the first couple lines offset each other, and it’s the so-called unsung heroes who get the stuff done.” – LA Kings Insider

And that’s exactly been what’s happening for both of these clubs. In nine postseason games, the Kings have had goals from 15 different players – how magical is that. 11 of those are forwards, the other four players are defensemen. It’s coming from both ends, ain’t it sweet.

Phoenix on the other hand, has seen 13 different players score. However, they’ve played two more playoff games than the Kings. They’ve struck gold with 10 forwards, and three defensemen.

Out of the box

Special opportunity: Surprisingly, the Kings have scored just as many short-handed goals (4), as powerplay goals. But really, you can’t count on short-handed scoring, keying in on man-advantage opportunity and maintaining solid defense on the penalty kill is the ultimate factor in executing and shutting down on crucial moments.

The Kings started the playoffs with three power-play goals in their first two games. Since then, they’ve scored just one in 35 chances through seven games. That may not be doing it the fancy way, because they’ve been doing it the defensive way. The Kings have allowed just three goals in 38 instances when they’ve been a man-down.

The Coyotes have been quite impressive as well, scoring on five of 33 power-play opportunities, and allowing 3 goals on 38 instances when shorthanded. These teams are so closely matched in all aspects, all you can really focus on is the Kings continuing to play aggressive in special teams situations, while staying loose and relaxed. Trying to do too much is what often kills you.

For the Kings, maintaining pressure in the neutral zone on the penalty-kill, while continuing to enter offensive territory on the power-play, will be their shot in the arm. Because when it’s a match-up this close and this familiar, finding success in the special teams department can go a very long way.

Chalk up some W’s for Foxy, deal with NBC’s horrid broadcasting

And he’s waiting

Right now you can feel it, back then you could hear it

Fourth-line production, and don’t let those faces fool you. It’ll be just as important, and just as exciting for this group to continue to roll on all ends.

Plus, if a Kevin Westgarth – Kyle Clifford connection can’t heed good luck, I don’t know what will.

No series prediction here – and that’s been working quite well.

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The Los Angeles Kings are hotter than they have been all season winning an astonishing six in a row. In this episode we talk about the games against the San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins. We also talk about possibly winning the Pacific Division and Colin Fraser being nominated for the Masterton award.

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Positive looks

Positive results

Holy jeeze, what’s happening?

The Kings have won four in a row, the first time they’ve done so all season.

They’ve scored 38 goals in ten games. That’s 3.8 goals per game.

To stretch things to the eleven-game mark, the Kings have recorded the first goal in nine of the aforementioned. They’ve also recorded at least three goals or more in nine of the previous eleven contests.

They’re 8-2 in their past ten games.

Yet, they’re still out of playoff positioning with just ten games remaining.

They’re one point from inching into the Western Conference playoff picture, they’re two points from taking over the Pacific Division.

The Kings currently sit at ninth-place in the Western Conference, just one spot out from the postseason cut-off. The team ahead of the Kings, the Colorado Avalanche, who hold the final playoff seed, have just one more point (83) to the Kings’ 82. A bright spot to take into consideration here, Colorado has two games in-hand on the Kings, leaving four extra points on the table for Los Angeles to work with. That’s highly favorable right now.

Stepping up

They look like a completely different team, they feel like one. Production is coming from all angles, most notably in Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, and the newly acquired Jeff Carter. This team seemed to turn the tables upon the acquisition of Carter, but the two big key producers have been from two faces that have marked territory here for quite some time.

During yet another offensive outbreak against Nashville Saturday night, Dustin Brown snapped his ten-game scoring streak. In that span, Brown notched an astounding 15 points in the form of five goals and ten assists. In the past 13 games, Brown has totaled 18 points. In Brown’s first 59 games this season, he recorded 28 points, that goes to show you how monstrous his recent outbreak has been.

The other big aspect in the Kings’ resurgence has been Anze Kopitar, who has churned out points in nine of his last ten games. In those ten games, Kopitar has chipped in with 11 points. This doesn’t necessarily knock his season-long production before his recent streak, but it’s shown something Kopitar has been lacking this year and in the past – consistency. When you’ve got a hot asset in Kopitar, you’re a dangerous club.

Sippin’ on San Jose

It’s the San Jose Sharks tonight at Staples Center, and it couldn’t get much bigger. The Kings and Sharks are twined in a dead-lock tie with 82 points apiece, both clubs trailing the top of the Pacific Division, honed by the Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes (83 points respectively), by just a single point.

What makes this even more crucial, both the Kings and Sharks are one win from attaining not just a Western Conference playoff berth, but the possibility of taking the top spot in the Pacific Division – which earns a straight shot to the Conference’s third-seed. This is playoff hockey already, expect the atmosphere to emulate that feel tonight.

Not to mention, these two teams see each other three more times this year, including the final two contests of the regular season. The Kings are 1-1-1 against San Jose in their first three meetings this season. All you can ask from the Kings is that they continue this turnaround, you don’t want to fuss with it now, especially since fans and myself have been calling for this since October.

Let the elite continue to ink the scoresheet…

Toss in some back-end scoring, and things should be just fine

You think Mike Richards is sweating the Western Conference playoff race?

Hell no.

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Double Deuces

Four goals in a single game

Bigger Than You’d Think: For the first time in 14 contests, and for the first time since November 22nd, the Kings managed to score more than two goals in regulation. In fact, the Kings tallied four goals – in a proverbial ‘four point game’ against the Pacific Division foe Phoenix Coyotes. With the regulation victory over the Sun Dogs, the Kings sit even with Phoenix at 39 points to share the 3rd & 4th slots in the Pacific Division‘s rankings.

Out of the Woodwork

Out of the Gate: We’re seeing clear differences with this club with Darryl Sutter housing the Kings’ bench. It’s energy, it’s effort, and we’re starting to see it early in games, and in the third period – missing components that have plagued this roster throughout the season.

When it comes down to good coaching, 2nd Period play is important, it’s about maintaining consistent effort and mentality from the roster. However, it’s not often going to make or break your overall output. Fast starts and strong finishes are the true gauge, the Kings are starting to exemplify those situations, and made perfect example of such tonight.

If you’re going the pessimistic route, you’re going to target tonight’s second frame, in which the Phoenix Coyotes took back complete control of the game. The Coyotes handled the middle frame in dominant fashion, but the Kings began, and finished tonight’s contest in a form that we’ve rarely seen all year long.

And that’s the key

Ahoy, Cap’n!

All smiles on board

Here’s some proof

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“I haven’t coached in this many seasons! *referring to finger count* LOL!“

The uneventful John Stevens era uneventfully reaches its end

Time for Another: To no surprise, Darryl Sutter has been the guy tabbed to coach the Kings by Dean Lombardi, and will make his debut behind Los Angeles’ bench Thursday night. The picking is a bit odd, seeing as Sutter hasn’t coached since the 2005-06 season with the Calgary Flames. However, Dean Lombardi is familiar with Sutter, hiring him to coach the San Jose Sharks as Sharks’ GM. Lombardi hired Darryl Sutter just one season into his Sharks tenure (1997) , and kept him aboard for more than five seasons.

There was success when these two worked together, the Sharks making the playoffs in all full seasons with Darryl Sutter behind the bench, winning the Pacific Division in 2002. The farthest the Sharks would get under Sutter is to the Western Conference Semi-Finals (’00,’02), losing in the first-round on three other occasions. Sutter compiled a respectable record of 193-167-61–14 until he was dismissed just 24 games into San Jose’s ’02-’03 campaign.

The Calgary Flames would snag Sutter almost immediately in effort to turn around their ’02-’03 disaster, but the Flames were already too deep to have any shot at success that season. Despite finishing dead last (5th) on the Northwest Division, Sutter went over .500 in his first 46 games to close the year. He would then lead that same club to the Stanley Cup Finals a year later. Sutter remained with the Flames throughout the NHL lockout, but cut ties after an early first-round postseason exit in 2006.

Six years later, it’s Los Angeles.

Welcome!

Fresh Start: The firing of Terry Murray has made the past week quite dreary in Kings country, such as their play. However, definite signs of life showed themselves Monday night in Toronto, fresh off of a team meeting organized by Matt Greene after Saturday’s 8-2 debacle in Detroit. Since Murray’s dismissal, John Stevens led the Kings to a 2-2 record on their four-game road trip. Stevens won’t get to fill that role at Staples Center, as Darryl Sutter is expected to make his debut Thursday night.

If Sutter is going to harp on any specifics in his first few days in Los Angeles, it’s got to revolve around this offense, which just continues it’s unthinkable path of mediocrity and failure.

 - In Monday night’s victory, the Kings set a new franchise record: 12 consecutive games without topping the 2-goal mark in regulation or OT – 12 straight games.

 - In Monday night’s victory, the Kings scored their first powerplay goal in 7 contests. Before this, they had executed on just 2 of their last 36 opportunities.

 - Shot totals haven’t been the problem, the Kings have amassed the 40-shot mark in four of their last six contests. In those four 40+ shot games, the Kings have recorded a total of just six goals.

 - Thursday night’s date with the Anaheim Ducks isnt just Darryl Sutter‘s coaching debut, but the one-month anniversary of Anze Kopitar‘s last goal.

Wake ‘em up, Sutt!

Key Return

Heads Up: Well, at least he’s been skating, but Mike Richards is still donning the red ‘safety sweater’ in practice. There’s still no official timetable for his return, but he’s not yet cleared for contact. Even though the Kings’ scoring woes have dated back much further than Richards’ absence, he was undoubtedly the most prominent forward for this team in November.

Richards made way to the IR while he was hot, reeling off 9 goals and an assist in 11 games before going down via Sean Bergenheim‘s questionable hit on December 1st. The Kings have been miserable without Mike Richards in the lineup, scoring just 12 goals total as a team in the 8 games since Richards suffered his head injury.

To realize how effective Richards’ output was, the Kings scored 15 goals as a team in the 8 games before his injury. Still brutal, but Richards had 7 of those 15 goals, which spotlights the misery the Kings’ offense has been all year long, even with Richards in the lineup.

It’s obviously important for Richards to be cleared for action sooner than later, but also important that he’s a part of a new coach’s early presence, important that Darryl Sutter and Mike Richards can click.

The week’s specific – Pacific

Pacific for Three: You look for the ideal time for the Kings to seriously turn things around, and the debut of a new head coach along with the start of a 3-game Pacific Division swing should be more than enough motivation.

No one’s breaking away in the standings quite yet, except Anaheim – and in the wrong fashion. The Anaheim Ducks will be the first date for the Kings in this Pacific trio, a club struggling mightily to rebound from early season struggles with the hire of Bruce Boudreau. Anaheim is a lowly 3-6-1 in their previous 10, with not much optimism stemming from any aspect of their club.

However, two clubs that are just above the Kings in the Pacific Division – the San Jose Sharks and Phoenix Coyotes (tied at 37 points, Kings at 34) are vital opponents for the Kings to find success against, and with regulation victories. The Kings have seen both the Coyotes and Sharks twice thus far, 1-0-1 vs. Pheonix and 1-1 vs. San Jose.

With the Kings-Coyotes unbalanced schedule this season, this will be the last date at Jobing.com Arena for the Division rivals this campaign. This is always interesting to note, because this could be the last game for the Kings in Glendale, Arizona… ever.

Oh man. This guy

Things looked up – up North

Showing a Pulse: The Kings impressed in Toronto. When I say impressed, I mean they showed glimpses of not being shitty. Defense rebounded from their collapse in Detroit, puck movement in the offensive and neutral zones has noticeably improved, and they finally made due on the powerplay, which was way overdue.

It’s three straight within the Pacific Division, against an Anaheim club that surely should be beat, and two other clubs that need to be beat. That’s if Dean Lombardi‘s plans rejuvenate themselves into what they’ve been mirrored to be for the last seven months. Go Kings

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Solidifying their status in the NHL playoffs was the farthest the Kings went in handling their own destiny. The rest was shelved on two consecutive losses to the Anaheim Ducks, and a Detroit Red Wings victory this afternoon. Although a few contests do remain on the NHL‘s regular season slate, none have any relevance to the Kings. The final horn in today’s contest between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks officially stamped the Kings’ first-round opponent as the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks’ 2nd seeding matches with the Kings’ 7th spot, with home-ice set in Northern California. The series is tabbed to start Thursday night in San Jose. The official dates, times, and venues will be released by the NHL at 7:00PM PST tonight. I’ll provide those along with a full preview of the San Jose Sharks – Los Angeles Kings Western Conference Quarterfinal series early in the week here at ‘Dancing in the Reign’. In the meantime, a few tidbits on the NHL going Pacific.

California Love

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The California Republic is sending all three of its NHL clubs to the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. That’s three-times more than what the entire country of Canada is representing for the postseason. Crazy, eh? Since the trio was completed with the Anaheim Ducks‘ inauguration in 1993, not once has every California team qualified for the postseason in the same year. The San Jose Sharks finish the season at 2nd place in the Western Conference, the Anaheim Ducks at 4th, and the Los Angeles Kings at 7th. Stanley Cup dreams, California dreamin’.

Playoffs on the Pacific

- – -

The NHL is seeing a lot of ‘firsts’ develop as the 2011 playoff tree approaches full-blossom. The Dallas Stars are the lone team in the Pacific Division sitting on the outside looking in. However, they can slide into the Western Conference‘s eighth and final playoff spot with a victory tonight against the Minnesota Wild. Dallas needs two points, and they must come with a victory in regulation or overtime. If they advance to a shootout, Chicago claims the tie-breaker and clinches the final playoff spot. They need two points without a shootout, plain and simple. The Stars own the tie-breaker with the Chicago Blackhawks at the moment, they’ll send the defending Stanley Cup Champions to the golf course a bit early with a non-shootout victory tonight. If the Stars do in fact pull off a win, this will be the first time since the NHL‘s division realignment in 1993 that an entire division qualifies for the postseason. Maybe a little more respect for the oft-forgotten NHL teams located in tropical climates, no?

 

No ‘subtitle’ option for hockey games, yet people can do everything but put food in their mouth with their cell phones these days. If I heard one more heavy-treble alternative rock song in the background of tonight’s broadcast, or during commercial-cuts which were just as guilty as Honda Center, I probably wouldn’t have done anything. But it was really annoying, and added to the lengthy ‘con’ list of everything having to do with Orange County. The music selection coincided with the night’s results, the Kings falling by a score of 2-1 to the Anaheim Ducks, who clinched a playoff berth with the victory. That’ll upset the gut.

And to top it off, these two trolls ran their mouths all night since Bob and Jim took the night off.
Take the ‘hlers’ out of ‘Ahlers’, and replace it with ‘sshole’. Then, take the ‘ayward’ out of ‘Hayward’ and replace it with ‘orrible announcer’.
There, that’s good.

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Western Conference Standings, At 81 Games

TEAM                     GP     W     L      OT     PTS
4. Nashville              81   44    26     11       99
5. Phoenix               81    43    25     13       99
6. LOS ANGELES     81   46    29     6        98
7. Anaheim              81    46    30     5         97
8. Chicago               81    44    28     9         97
9. Dallas                  81    42    28     11       95

81 Deep: The NHL‘s final weekend couldn’t look any better, each club approaches their 82nd regular season contest with an array of positioning possibilities. The top seven spots have been clinched in the Western Conference, with two teams still in pursuit of the 8th and final spot. The Chicago Blackhawks have control over their own destiny, they clinch with just one point attained in their final game against the Detroit Red Wings. The Dallas Stars need a regulation victory against the Minnesota Wild, and a regulation loss for Chicago in order to qualify. If that happens, it will be the first time in NHL history that an entire division qualifies for the postseason. For the Kings, they can finish anywhere from 4th to 8th in the Western Conference. It all hinges on one game, it’s either home-ice advantage or a seriously scary first round opponent.

Terry’s Quick

I’m going to bring up an issue that doesn’t deserve acknowledgment right now, due to Jonathan Quick‘s uncanny performance tonight. The guy stood on his head, but Jonathan Bernier should have gotten Terry Murray‘s call. I’m heavy on the mental aspect of the goaltender game, and Murray slipped again. Look, Jonathan Quick got the opportunity to redeem himself after the debacle in San Jose, why not utilize tonight as an opportunity to express both trust and respect to your backup? Tonight wasn’t a ‘must-win’, but a huge-win game. Seemed sensible to me, now you’ve got Quick going five straight starts heading into the postseason, assuming he gets the call tomorrow night. Bernier’s seen just 34 minutes of ice since his shutout performance in Edmonton on March 29th. It’s tough to argue the issue when Jonathan Quick stands on his head, at least the goalie situation is a lot healthier than this point last season.

- – -

It’s Kings – Ducks for the regular season finale tomorrow night in Los Angeles. Both teams have clinched playoff spots, the game simply determines positioning in the Western Conference‘s playoff picture. Tomorrow night will also be the final night in which the black “Los Angeles” hem-line uniforms will be worn this season. The Kings have again opted to don the alternate uniforms at Staples Center for the playoffs. Not only is it the final time they’ll be worn this season, but the final time as a ‘primary’ uniform. They’ll be the alternates next season, with 10-15 appearances. Tonight was the final showing of the white ‘Los Angeles’ hem-line uniforms in regular season action. This design will be scrapped permanently at the end of the campaign, but will grace the team on the road throughout the postseason.

Throughout the remainder of the NHL season, ‘Dancing in the Reign’ will be recapping each week in the Pacific Division and Western Conference. Track the Kings’ push for a second consecutive playoff berth, see which teams are hot and who’s not, and note on key divisional and conference match-ups. This edition of Sunday Night Scoreboard Watch recaps the week of March 28 with a look ahead to the week of April 4.

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The Week That Was: You’d think the Kings’ results from the week’s schedule would have fans ecstatic. With three victories and six points added to the name, the Kings slide into 5th place in the Western Conference. However, the week’s success came at a terribly expensive cost. Justin Williams and Anze Kopitar both suffered serious injuries, they’ll be out for the remainder of the regular season – and more. The Calgary Flames were the first opponent of the week, a club that is fighting to find it’s place in the conference’s top eight. The Kings kept the Flames on the outskirts, picking up two points in a 2-1 victory via shootout. San Jose’s final trip to Los Angeles called for a shootout as well, and the Kings were again successful in winning the breakaway battle. The 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks tacked on another two points, and some confidence as well – beating a club that is atop the Pacific Division and tied for 2nd place in the Western Conference. The week’s finale had the makings of a ‘trap’ game for the Kings. An afternoon affair, and against the sunken Colorado Avalanche. Focus and strategy was maintained, the Kings reeling off a 4-1 victory in smooth fashion. An eerie silence took over the Staples Center atmosphere after Anze Kopitar hobbled off the ice in pain, our beloved star now out for the first time in his NHL career.

Pacific Division Standings

TEAM                 GP     W     L     OT     PTS
San Jose              76    44    23     9        97
Phoenix              77    41    25    11       93
LOS ANGELES    75   43    26    6        92
Anaheim             75    42    28     5        89
Dallas                 74    38    26    10       86

Pacific Division Notes: Quite frankly, the Pacific Division standings instill very little meaning at this point. If one thing sticks out from this week’s division stat-line, it’s the downfall of the Dallas Stars. With a 1-3-2 record in their last six games, they’re slowly solidifying their status in the division’s basement. The Stars are the only club in the Pacific Division out of playoff positioning, but they’re only two points out of contention with games in-hand. The Kings are the hottest team of the group, and have two games in-hand on the Phoenix Coyotes, who are one point ahead. Once again, the Western Conference picture is where the true postseason relevance lies.

Western Conference Standings

TEAM                      GP     W     L     OT     PTS
3. San Jose               76     44    23    9        97
4. Phoenix               77     41    25    11      93
5. LOS ANGELES    75    43    26    6        92
6. Nashville             76     41    25    10       92
7. Anaheim             75     42    28    5         89
8. Chicago              74     40    26    8         88
9. Calgary               77     38    28    11       87
10. Dallas               74     38    26    10       86

Western Conference Notes: The Nashville Predators are rolling, and are now riding a six game win-streak. With the Kings perfect week, they are now just one point from attaining positioning for home-ice in the first round of the playoffs. Realistic contention goes no further than the 10th-seed Dallas Stars, where an eight-point gap separates the 11th-seed Minnesota Wild. As for the two teams sitting outside the conference’s playoff picture but still fully entrenched in contention, the Calgary Flames don’t have the best outlook. Sure, they’re just one point behind the Anaheim Ducks, but have played three more games than both teams surrounding them. The possibility of all Pacific Division clubs making the playoffs is still strong, with the Dallas Stars just two points from completing the puzzle. Not only have the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings never qualified for the postseason in the same year, but never has a division sent all of it’s teams to the playoffs. History will certainly be made, in one aspect or the other.

The Week Ahead

- March 28 Through April 3 -
Tuesday: AT Edmonton Oilers
Rexall Place, 6:30 PM PST
Thursday: AT Vancouver Canucks
Rogers Arena, 7:00 PM PST
Saturday: VS Dallas Stars
Staples Center, 1:00 PM PST

The Week’s Outlook: Another three-game slate for the Kings this week, they’ll hit the road for two contests and return to Los Angeles for another Saturday matinee. The Kings will head off to Western Canada to face the Western Conference‘s worst Edmonton Oilers. Much like Colorado, the Oilers are another opponent considered a ‘trap’ for playoff contenders. The Kings will be looking for the season-sweep against Edmonton, carrying a 3-0-0 record against into Dustin Penner‘s homecoming. Next on tap is the Vancouver Canucks, a club that has been battered by injuries much like the Kings. They’re hot, winners of three straight, and stand atop the NHL with 109 points. The Kings are 2-1-0 against Vancouver this season, and will look to take the season series in yet another crucial contest. The week’s finale calls for another Saturday afternoon affair at Staples Center. This will be the last meeting of the season against the Dallas Stars, a team the Kings have handled well with a 3-1-1 record against. Another scary opponent, as the Stars are just outside of the Western Conference‘s playoff picture. The Kings will be shorthanded in the offensive department, moving on without injured ingredients in Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams. Defense and goaltending will be key from here on out, as offensive production will leverage on sound performances in the defensive zone.

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*Photo Credits:
Alec Martinez, Los Angeles Kings – Home Primary: Michael Zampelli
Kari Lehtonen, Dallas Stars – Home Primary: Associated Press
Mike Fisher, Ryan Suter, Nashville Predators – Home Primary: Frederick Breedon/Getty Images
Oscar Moller, Anze Kopitar, Willie Mitchell, Los Angeles Kings – Home Alternate: Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

Throughout the remainder of the NHL season, ‘Dancing in the Reign’ will be recapping each week in the Pacific Division and Western Conference. Track the Kings’ push for a second consecutive playoff berth, see which teams are hot and who’s not, and note on key divisional and conference match-ups. This edition of Sunday Night Scoreboard Watch recaps the week of March 14 with a look ahead to the week of March 21.

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The Week That Was: Tuesday night’s 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators made history for the franchise. This was the final game of the Kings’ four game road-trip, which was traveled perfectly with a 4-0-0 record. This is the first time in franchise history that a Kings team has been perfect on a four-date road slate. This would be the high point of the week, as the Kings returned to Southern California to grace the torture chamber that has been Staples Center. The Kings have won just seven contests in their home confines since December 26th, and those struggles ensued this past week. Thursday night queued the start to five consecutive dates at Staples Center in horrific fashion. The 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues was simply inexcusable, all aspects of the Kings’ play failed miserably. Don’t want to harp on Tuesday’s monstrosity any further than that. As for the week’s finale, the Kings stumbled at home yet again. The Anaheim Ducks, who refuse to drift out of contention, left Los Angeles with a 2-1 overtime victory. Jonathan Quick saved the game, Ray Emery took it away. The week resulted in a 1-1-1 record for the Kings, picking up three of six points on the board.

Pacific Division Standings

TEAM                   GP     W     L     OT     PTS
San Jose                73     42    23     8      92
Phoenix                74     39    24    11     89
LOS ANGELES      72    40   26     6      86
Anaheim               72     40    27     5      85
Dallas                   72     38    25     9      85

Pacific Division Notes: We’ve got two hot teams in the division, both the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks reeled off perfect weeks, both clubs riding three game win-streaks. With that, the Sharks maintain their stance atop the Pacific Division, and the Ducks find themselves back in playoff positioning. The division continues to dominate the Western Conference‘s top eight, with the Dallas Stars as the only club excluded. Dallas is far from out, however. They’re standing pat with Anaheim’s 85 point-total, which is the current line that marks the edge of the Western Conference‘s cliff. Although the standings in the Pacific Division look quite intriguing, they’ve become quite irrelevant in the postseason race. The bigger, more important picture falls under the stat-line in the NHL‘s western regions.

Western Conference Standings

TEAM                      GP     W     L     OT   PTS
3. San Jose              73      42    23     8     92
4. Phoenix               74     39    24    11    89
5. Chicago               72     39    25     8     86
6. LOS ANGELES    72     40   26     6     86
7. Nashville             73     38    25    10     86
8. Anaheim             72     40    27      5     85
9. Dallas                 72     38    25      9     85
10. Calgary             74     37    27    10     84

Western Conference Notes: The Kings, even after a sub-par week, continue to maintain a position in the Western Conference‘s playoff picture. There’s no time to etch this into your comfort zone, as they’re only two points ahead of the 10th-seed Calgary Flames. To add to the stress, both clubs trailing the Kings in the standings are surging. The Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks are doing some heavy tailgating, both teams coming off of perfect a week with three consecutive victories. Slowly but surely, separation in the conference continues to evolve. Looking past the Calgary Flames, playoff contention is a long-shot for the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets. Although yet to be mathematically eliminated, both clubs must finish the regular season with near-perfect records to make a case for the Western Conference‘s top eight.

The Week Ahead

- March 21 Through March 28 -
Monday: VS Calgary Flames
Staples Center, 7:30 PM PST
Thursday: VS San Jose Sharks
Staples Center, 7:30 PM PST
Saturday: VS Colorado Avalanche
Staples Center, 1:00 PM PST

The Week’s Outlook: This week has three contests on the slate, with the storyline being home-ice. The Kings will finish their five-game homestand at Staples Center, a building in which this team has struggled mightily as of late. At this point, wins are needed regardless of location, unfortunately Los Angeles has been a difficult venue. The week’s schedule commences tonight against the Calgary Flames, who fell victim to Corey Perry and the Anaheim Ducks last night in similar fashion as the Kings did on Saturday. The Flames are 1-3-1 in their previous five games, they’re sitting in the Western Conference‘s 10th slot, just two points behind the Kings. Thursday night will be the San Jose Sharks‘ final trip to Los Angeles, and is the fifth of six meetings between the two clubs this season. They’re holding steady atop the Pacific Division and continue to soldifiy their 3rd-place spot in the Western Conference. San Jose enters the week on a roll with three consecutive victories. The week’s final date welcomes the Colorado Avalanche, one of the few teams out of playoff contention. For the Kings, winning games against sullen teams is just as important as the contenders. They failed to execute on the hopeless St. Louis Blues last week, the Kings cannot afford another loss to a team out of contention. Wins are a must at all costs, and rekindling success at Staples Center plays a crucial role.

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*Photo Credits:
Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings – Home Primary: Michael Zampelli
Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks – Home Alternate: Associated Press
Colin Wilson and Blake Geoffrion, Nashville Predators – Away Primary: Getty Images/Rick Stewart
Ryan Smyth and Rob Scuderi, Los Angeles Kings – Home Primary: Michael Zampelli