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What's plaguing the LA Kings?

June 11th, 2012 12:06 PM
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  • Los Angeles Kings players skate off the ice after game four of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals against the New Jersey Devils. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

    • After earning a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals over the Devils, the Kings have let New Jersey right back in the series, and now have just two more chances to win their first ever championship, beginning tonight in Game 6. What has so many hockey fans perplexed, however, is just how this has happened given the relative ease with which LA racked up its first 15 playoff wins.

    The Kings dropped just two games in the first three rounds of the playoffs, making them an astonishing 15-2 since the regular season ended on April 7. So what has changed in the past two games? Well, it’s not as complicated as you might think.

    The Kings have thrived over the past two months thanks to their ability to keep the puck in the opponents’ end of the ice and to rely on the spectacular play of Jonathan Quick when they do allow shots on goal. But against the Devils’ relentless forecheck, that hasn’t been so easy, and Dustin Brown even admitted that the New Jersey’s physical play has given the Kings more problems than they were prepared for. But beyond that, it comes down to a simple matter of luck.

    Despite their early 3-0 series lead, the Kings did not noticeably outplay the Devils in the first two games of the series, winning twice in overtime. So in a series as tightly-contested as this one, the winner is often the one who simply has the better fortunes, and the Kings’ shooters have been rather snake-bitten in the last two games as they hit the iron about half a dozen times.

    We’ll see if they can get back to doing what they do best in Game 6, and if they can get some bounces to go their way.

    Los Angeles Kings Coach Darryl Sutter infamously exhibited indignation when questions were asked about his team’s inability to sweep the New Jersey Devils. Then the Devils won Game 5, pushing the series back to LA and reducing the Kings’ whacks at the Stanley Cup pinata to two. The pressure’s on.

    Read the original post from puckdaddy.com

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