Actually, there’s not much in the way of news going into Game 7 on Tuesday. Injured Kings center Jarret Stoll went for his longest skate yet on Monday, but there’s still no timetable for his return to the lineup. Stoll was sidelined by a concussion after the San Jose Sharks’ Raffi Torres hit him with an illegal check in Game 1. Torres was suspended for the rest of the series, including tonight’s game.
Continue reading “Kings news and notes for Game 7” »
Kings captain Dustin Brown knows what it’s like to lift the Stanley Cup in triumph. He also knows what it’s like to lose in the first round of the playoffs and have that feeling of anguish while going through the traditional post-series handshake line. He linked the two experiences on the eve of the Kings’ Game 7 against the San Jose Sharks.
Continue reading “Dustin Brown talks about learning to win (and lose) in the Stanley Cup playoffs” »
Kings center Anze Kopitar will play in his first Game 7 when he and his teammates host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. Here are some of his thoughts on Game 7s and how to approach them without ever having played in one: “It’s my first Game 7. I don’t think it’s gong to be any different. I mean, we’ve faced elimination before and didn’t get the job done. Now it’s tied. We’re at home and it’s going to be in our building (with) our fans. I don’t think we need a whole lot more motivation to have a good start and get going.”
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Here’s Mike Richards on the debacle that was Game 6.
“Seemed like we had a tough time getting it together and getting sustained pressure,” Richards told reporters. “They kept us to the outside most of the night. It’s disappointing. At the same time, it’s one of those games you have to put behind you, move on and get right back at it on Tuesday. It’s a pretty good series. One game decides it.”
“When it comes down to one game, it’s exciting,” Richards said. “Obviously we would’ve rather had it tonight but we still have a game on Tuesday. Whoever plays their best will win.”
Well that’s not what the Kings were hoping for. Early penalties did the Kings in, and they lost to the Sharks, 2-1, Sunday in San Jose. Kyle Clifford and Anze Kopitar were each called for early penalties, and Joe Thornton scored on a 5-on-3 power play. The Kings made that too easy for the Sharks.
The Kings-Sharks Game 7 – for the right to go to the Western Conference Finals – starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Staples Center.
Here’s the report from our sister paper, the San Jose Mercury News:
Sharks coach Todd McLellan didn’t say if Adam Burish will play in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Kings, but the injured winger took a regular spot on the fourth line in Saturday’s practice at the team’s facility.
Burish, who has not played in the Western Conference semifinals since he injured his right hand May 7 in the final game of the opening round sweep of Vancouver, skated with Bracken Kearns and Andrew Desjardins for most of Saturday’s practice.
“I feel ready,— Burish said Saturday. “It’s Todd’s call, but I feel pretty darn good.”
Burish initially was declared out for the series after he took a slash to the hand from Vancouver’s Alexander Edler in Game 4. But earlier this week he said his goal was to play against the Kings.
Dustin Brown said he knows why the Kings are 1-4 on the road in the playoffs.
“We haven’t scored on the road,” Brown said Saturday.
In fact, the Kings scored more than one goal on the road only once during the playoffs and that was during their 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game 5 of their first-round series. Not surprisingly, that’s the Kings’ only road win in five tries.
Continue reading “Kings captain Dustin Brown talks about winning on the road in the playoffs” »
Here’s what Kings captain Dustin Brown had to say about trying to close out the San Jose Sharks on Sunday in Game 6 at HP Pavilion: “Your approach doesn’t change, but that’s not to say you’re not thinking about it as a player on both sides of it. “You know what’s at stake, but you don’t change the way you play based on a close-out game or not. We try to approach all the games the same.
Continue reading “It’s closing time for the Kings” »
Jarret Stoll was an easy man to find during the Kings’ practice Saturday in El Segundo. He was the one wearing a bright green practice jersey to distinguish him from his teammates, who wore white or gold or back colors. Stoll skated a bit, handled the puck some and took some shots on goalie Jonathan Bernier, but he’s only slightly closer to returning to the Kings’ lineup than he was when he suffered a concussion in Game 1 against the San Jose Sharks. The veteran center has made some progress, however. Skating on his own was one step and joining his teammates for a limited workout with them was another.
Continue reading “Injured Kings center Jarret Stoll joins his teammates for a light workout” »