Kings’ Hard Work Rewarded

What a long, strange trip.

It’s not known if the late, great Jerry Garcia was a hockey fan, but his spirit of adventure has been alive and well as the Kings have played on and on against mind-boggling odds.

When the Stanley Cup playoffs began, the Kings looked as out of place as a Grateful Dead fan at a GOP fund-raiser. But no longer.

There will be a Game 7 on Wednesday at Denver after winger Glen Murray’s goal 2:41 into the second overtime period gave the Kings a 1-0 victory Sunday over the Colorado Avalanche, evening the series at three games apiece.

“I was, like, ‘Wow, we’re going to Game 7,’ ” Murray said after giving the Kings their fourth consecutive overtime victory. “It’s do or die for both teams.”

“Go Kings go,” chanted a sellout crowd of 18,478 as they poured out of Staples Center into a warm spring night.

Go Kings go.

All the way to Denver.

“We said all along we could win it in seven,” Coach Andy Murray said. “We’ve got that chance now. After the game, we asked the guys, ‘Can you win one more?’ ”

Who could have guessed the Kings would be in this position after they were routed in their first two playoff games by the Detroit Red Wings?

No question, the Kings gained grudging respect after rallying to defeat the Red Wings, four games to two, in the opening round. But upon reaching Denver for Game 1 of their second-round series against the Avalanche, they were met with the customary jokes about hockey in the land of palm trees and swimming pools.

The truth of the matter is that L.A. has always been a hard-working town. From South-Central to the Valley, from the Eastside to the Westside, folks get up early and work late. Their hockey team has been representative of their community.

La-La Land is a myth.

Ask Colorado’s Peter Forsberg today if this series has been anything like an episode of “Baywatch.” Forsberg didn’t have an inch of ice to himself in Game 6.

Ask Joe Sakic, returning to the ice after a bum shoulder kept him from playing Games 4 and 5. He picked up a few more bumps and bruises and welts in Game 6.

Ask Patrick Roy, who kept pace with King goalie Felix Potvin until Murray slapped a rolling puck by him from the right wing 22 minutes 41 seconds into extra time Sunday. Without an exceptional performance from Roy, the Avalanche would have been thumped in Game 6.

So now there will be a Game 7.

Give the advantage to the Kings, who have not faced the season-long pressure of having to win the Stanley Cup championship.

All the Kings have accomplished so far in the playoffs has been unexpected. No one expected them to get this far.

By contrast, Colorado’s players have had the pressure of having to win the Cup hanging around their necks since the opening day of training camp back in September.

The Avalanche must win Game 7 or face the wrath of an unhappy populace. They must win and move on or else!

However, Game 7s haven’t been good to the Avalanche in recent postseasons.

In 1998, Colorado built a 3-1 series lead against the Edmonton Oilers in the opening round only to collapse in heap, losing three consecutive, including a 4-0 defeat in Game 7 at Denver.

In 1999, Colorado had a 3-2 series lead over the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference finals, with Game 6 in Denver. The Avalanche lost Games 6 and 7, by matching 4-1 scores.

In 2000, Colorado rallied to tie the conference final series at three games apiece, but Dallas goalie Ed Belfour outdueled Roy in Game 7 and the Stars took a 3-2 victory.

The Kings’ last visit to a Game 7 was the 1993 conference final against the Toronto Maple Leafs, when they defeated a young goaltender named Felix Potvin for a victory that got the franchise to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in its history.

Think of it: the Kings hadn’t even advanced to a Game 5 until last month. They lost 14 consecutive postseason games between Game 2 of the 1993 finals and Game 3 of the their opening-round series against the Red Wings.

But victories at Staples in Games 3 and 4 erased the Red Wings’ 2-0 series advantage and propelled the Kings to a first-round victory. Key to advancing was their Game 5 victory at Detroit. Adam Deadmarsh’s overtime goal in Game 6 put the Kings in Round 2 against the Avalanche.

Down and all but out after losing three in a row in the second round against the Avalanche, the Kings won Game 5 on Friday at Denver, setting up another wild trip into overtime in Game 6.