Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

The Los Angeles Kings Have Been Here Before

05/13/2014 at 8:43am EDT

from Helene Elliott of the LA Times,

The Kings fended off elimination four times in their first-round playoff series against San Jose, sticking together when it would have been easy to fracture, playing an ever-tighter defensive game that complemented Jonathan Quick's confident goaltending while they picked apart the emotionally fragile Sharks.

The Kings' 4-3 loss to the Ducks on Monday at Honda Center in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series left them facing elimination for the fifth time this spring. They know the territory, certainly, but the Ducks are not the hollow-hearted Sharks and aren't likely to fumble under pressure as the Sharks did.

So, somehow, some way, the Kings must formulate a way to make another comeback in Game 6, to be played Wednesday at Staples Center. And then, they hope, return to Anaheim for a seventh game Friday.

"That's the plan," Kings center Anze Kopitar said Monday in the subdued locker room. "Now we've got to go home and win a home game. That's the bottom line. There's no secret. We want to come back here and give ourselves a chance."

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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