KINGS GAME REPORT

FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 2, KINGS 0

Highlight Reel: Here’s another mismatch in the series: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Aretha Franklin and the Red Wings have it. The Kings definitely do not. With Detroit on a power play late in the period, Darren McCarty dived off tackle and into King goalie Stephane Fiset during a scramble. Two minutes for interference with the goalie, right? Wrong. Referees Paul Devorski and Dave Jackson let play continue. Defenseman Larry Murphy then put the puck into an open net. Rookie Coach Andy Murray stood in front of the King bench pleading for an explanation. Devorski and Jackson ignored him then and again after the period ended 19 seconds later. Think they would have simply blown off Detroit Coach Scotty Bowman?

Not in the Summary: Parking was $12.50 for Game 3, but $20 for Game 4. What, did they include a free car wash? Evidently not since the Jetta was still filthy upon exiting the rink late Wednesday evening. It’s called price gouging, boys and girls. And in the immortal words of “South Park” star and King mascot Eric Cartman, “That’s pretty weak, dude.”

Winning Number: Detroit went two for three on the power play.

Wrong Number: The Kings had six shots on net. They also were scoreless on two power-play chances. Other than that everything was fine.

SECOND PERIOD: KINGS 0, DETROIT 2

Highlight Reel: Aki Berg hammered Detroit captain Steve Yzerman into the boards, breaking the glass. A nanosecond later, Bob Corkum took Red Wing Pat Verbeek hard into the boards, smashing the next pane over. Cheers erupted all around the arena. When was the last time you saw two sections of glass pop out on simultaneous checks? Remarkable though it was, it also illustrated a point about the Kings’ predicament in the series. They have played the Red Wings even in terms of physical play. It’s the Kings’ finesse game that has been sadly lacking, which made it no wonder they were 20 minutes from elimination. The Kings, who were the NHL’s fifth-best offensive team in the regular season, have been muzzled.

Not in the Summary: The Kings didn’t appear to have a plan to score in this series. Are they dumping the puck and chasing it down in the Red Wing zone? Are they carrying the puck over the blue line? Are they simply hoping to score? After three games and two periods, it’s difficult to identify their game plan. Full marks to Detroit for playing suffocating defense after grabbing leads in each of the four games.

Winning Number: The Kings took only one minor in the period and killed it off without much trouble.

Wrong Number: The Kings lost 24 of 40 faceoffs through two periods, another sign of the Red Wings’ complete domination.

THIRD PERIOD: RED WINGS 3, KINGS 0

Highlight Reel: And then the lights went out. The curse of Marty McSorley continues. This definitely wasn’t part of Blackout 2000, the Kings’ promotional attempt designed to inspire the faithful. The teams returned to a darkened arena to begin their warmup. A computer glitch caused a mini-blackout of the event lights, forcing a 20-minute delay of the inevitable Detroit sweep. The unscheduled extra rest between periods seemed to do the Kings good. They swarmed Chris Osgood’s net, at long last getting sustained pressure in Detroit’s end of the ice.

Not in the Summary: The future looks bright for the Red Wings, who defeated the Kings without a great deal of offensive help from Yzerman (zero goals), Brendan Shanahan (one goal) and Nicklas Lidstrom (two goals). What’s more, St. Louis, Detroit’s expected opponent in the next round, trails the pesky San Jose Sharks, three games to one.

Winning Number: Detroit killed off 23 short-handed situations in the series, a critical part of their lopsided victory against the Kings.

Wrong Number: The Kings are 0-12 in Stanley Cup playoff games since McSorley was found to have been playing with an illegal stick late in Game 2 of the 1993 Stanley Cup finals against the Montreal Canadiens.