Speed Bumps Rise Up on Kings’ Playoff Road

If the playoffs were to begin today, the Kings would qualify as one of the top eight teams in the Western Conference. But unfortunately for them, postseason play does not start until late April.

For the Kings to stay in contention and end a four-year stretch of non-playoff seasons, they realize they must play better than they have the last six weeks. They are 6-10-3 since Dec. 1.

“We knew at the beginning of the season that we had a good team that had a good chance to do very well this year,” goaltender Stephane Fiset said. “We’re happy so far, but we know that we have to keep going. We have a looong way to go before the playoffs.”

The Kings began the season strongly, surprising hockey experts by becoming one of the league’s top scoring teams. They had a 12-9-5 record in their first 26 games.

The Kings’ success, however, was short-lived. They quickly dropped in the playoff race after a six-game winless streak in the first two weeks of December. Their hot-scoring offense suddenly grew cold and they struggled to stay near the .500 mark while the struggling teams in the conference slowly made their move.

That’s why Monday’s 3-2 comeback victory over the Mighty Ducks was huge. Not only did it end a three-game losing streak, but it may serve as the turning point for the Kings as they try to recapture their early-season success.

“I’m very happy in the position that we’re in, but I’m not really happy with our play of late,” Coach Larry Robinson said. “We’ve lost a little bit of what we had. . . . We’ve lost patience in our system and confidence in what we’re doing.

“Through the first part of the season, we were doing all of the little things very, very well. And, we were being successful at it. We had a great work ethic.”

When things started to slide for the Kings last season, excuses were abundant, ranging from travel problems to injuries. This season, however, the Kings appear determined to overcome obstacles.

General Manager Dave Taylor and Robinson have worked well together over the first half of the season.

When the team needed more defense-minded forwards to help in killing penalties, Dan Bylsma was quickly recalled from the International Hockey League. When the Kings needed more speed up front, they signed Russ Courtnall and later brought up Nathan LaFayette from the American Hockey League.

Those moves may not win the Stanley Cup, but they have kept the Kings competitive. That’s a key reason they have not been more than two games below .500 all season.

“I think that we’ve shown a lot of character since the beginning of the season,” said Luc Robitaille, who played on the Kings’ last playoff team. “We’ve been in some tough and weird situations but we still have a lot to accomplish. I don’t feel that we are where we want to be yet. I believe that we are a better team than what we’ve shown.”

If the Kings are to remain among the conference’s top teams, it is clear they cannot rely on one player or one line to carry them. When they are at their best, their game starts on the defensive end and leads to goals by various players.

From Yanic Perreault, who has a team-high 19 goals, to Rob Blake, who has scored five of his eight goals since Dec. 5, the Kings must balance their scoring to win.

“We have to build ourselves a cushion [in the standings] over the next two months because the schedule is a little more in our favor,” said Robinson, whose team is 11-8-2 at the Great Western Forum. “When it gets toward the end of the season and games are more important because teams are juggling for playoff position, we don’t want to be in position where we have to win a game and do it on the road [to make the playoffs]. I mean, to have to go to Philly and have to get two points is playing with fire.”