Two five-on-three power plays: No goals. The penalty kill, which had gone 29 straight chances without allowing a goal, all of the sudden couldn’t stop a junior B power play. This is the least appropriate time of year to have such troubles, and right now, with points at stake in the Western Conference playoff race, it’s flat out costing the Kings games.
Tonight in Minnesota against a Wild team the Kings have flat out owned the past two seasons, special teams were the difference in the game. If the Kings are able to capitalize on just ONE of five power play opportunities, or kill a single penalty, they’re leaving Minnesota with at least a point earned. Instead they’ve now equaled their season high for consecutive losses and instead of sitting 5th in the West, sit 7th, only a point against 8th seed Colorado and 5 points ahead of 9th place Calgary.
The next two games don’t look great for the Kings. Next up is Nashville, whom the Kings seem to be absolutely cursed against. Last time the team’s met, the Predators reaped the benefit of a horrible call (or non call, depending on how you look at it) and beat the Kings 3-2 at Staples. Nashville has beaten the Kings 7 consecutive times and sits 3 points ahead of the Kings at press time. Jonathan Bernier, on an emergency recall from Manchester due to Erik Ersberg’s strained back, will start in goal tomorrow night. Considering that nothing else the Kings have done has solved the Preds, I say why not. Perhaps Bernier will steal a win and help the Kings’ playoff dreams stay the course. Perhaps the special teams become special again (not in a short bus kind of way). Perhaps the Preds will continue to have the Kings’ number.
After Nashville, the Kings return home to face Vancouver, another team that has stymied the Kings’ in recent times. Roberto Luongo seems to have a spell over the Kings (as he does over much of the league admittedly) and the Kings have beaten the Canucks only once in the last two seasons.
If the Kings can manage 2 or 3, much less 4 points against two opponents who usually don’t give them much. They’re also put in the unenviable position of having to hope for victories by Phoenix, Anaheim and Edmonton (two of which are not very good teams) to keep other teams in the race at bay. Best case scenario for the Kings if they can’t manage to catch fire, is for Calgary to struggle the rest of the way. Each time the Flames lose, the Kings’ magic number goes down. Right now that number sits at 8. If the Kings’ manage to break the Music City curse and the Flames fall in regulation Wednesday, that number becomes a much more manageable 4 with 6 games remaining.
Objectively, the Flames remaining schedule is Phoenix, Colorado, Chicago, San Jose, Minnesota and Vancouver. Of those six games, the only one you might call a gimme is Minnesota, and even they would enjoy playing the role of spoiler for a division rival. If the Kings didn’t manage another point, the Flames would have to win at least 3 of 6 to get in.
The Kings’ remaining schedule is as follows: At Nashville, Vancouver, Anaheim, at Anaheim, Phoenix, Edmonton and at Colorado. With the exception of Anaheim, whom the Kings have owned this season (and still won’t be an easy game because Randy Carlyle will no doubt have his goons running full force at the Kings’ stars in that home and home), not a single one of these contests will be easy. This is going to be a dogfight, and a serious test of the Kings’ fortitude.
The fortunate thing is, once the Kings’ snap out of their special teams’ funk, they know they can beat anybody in the league. The question at this point, is, can they right the ship before playoff dreams slip away?
Go Kings
-JS
Jeremy Smith