Can we call Staples Center the Magic Kingdom if they do? The LA Kings are trying to accomplish something only 3 teams in NHL Playoffs history have done – come back from 3 games down in a series
The Los Angeles Kings put the intensity to the ice Monday night, and their reward is a battle royal at the SAP Center Wednesday night for the right to face the Anaheim Ducks in Round 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Just five days ago LA seemed destined for an offseason of second-guessing and speculation. Today they are traveling North toward history.
Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams brought the the Staples Center into a frenzy – which about tipped the Richter Scale – as their three-goal onslaught sent Stalock and Co. back to NoCal with battered egos and bruised bodies. Jonathan Quick was lights out. He even displayed his best impression of a brawler with a well-timed sleeper-hold in the waning minutes of Game 6.
From 8:04 to 5:18 (or 11:56-14:42 depending on how you read the box score) left in the game, the Kings put on a performance that will make the annals of playoff hockey lore. LA is the ninth team in NHL history to push a best-of-seven series to the final game after losing the first three games of the series. Only three of those teams have finished the job.
The absurdity of the daunting comeback is only further pronounced by this fact. Jeff Carter and Mike Richards were on the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 when they stormed back, down 0-3, against the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. That’s some great mojo to have in the Kings’ locker room as they prepare for the ultimate in playoff hockey – a road Game 7 victory.
The Kings haven’t won back-to-back contests in San Jose since I don’t know when, and the Sharks have experience in this department too. San Jose won three, then dropped three against the Detroit Red Wings in the 2011 Conference Semis before pulling it together in Game 7.
Kings players raved about the fans after Game 6. Kopitar, Jarret Stoll and Quick all commented on the noise and the energy it brings to their hockey play. They won’t have that in San Jose. They’ll have to get their enthusiasm from the silence there.
A combined 562 hits in this series tells the tale of the competition on the ice, but when Joe Thornton blasted Drew Doughty in the back (with 1:46 to play) right in front of Quick all hell broke lose. Quick went right at Thornton, putting him in the previously stated sleeper-hold. When the scrum was sorted out, eight penalties were called in that fracas. From 5:01 left in the 3rd period, five players (two Kings, three Sharks) were leveled with 10 minute misconducts.
Kopitar is the only player to have a point in every game of this series. The Kings will need his Slovenian leadership to prevail them through this next contest. Quick has shown the Kings, and it’s fans, he deserved the right to stay in Game 2. While the Sharks benched Antti Niemi in favor of Stalock in Game 6, the Kings held firm to their trust in Quick and they have been amply rewarded.
Game 7 is gonna be a brew-ha-ha. Expect lots of skirmishes, board play and All-Star puck handling. Like I said in my last article, LA has to keep San Jose out of the net in period one. If they can do this, regardless if they score, then the Kings will be playing the Ducks in the next round. I expect a tight game till the waning minutes of the third period. In fact, I called for overtime in Game 6. Maybe I was a game off.
Staples Center played the Game of Thrones theme song last night during stoppage. Winter is Coming. Only one team gets to be Lord of the NHL. The Kings have the opportunity to continue on their quest, but there is blood in the water – and we know how sharks react to that.
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