Both objectives are more attainable than meets the eye. The eighth-seeded Kings finished a mere two points behind their Western Conference final adversaries from Phoenix in an ultra-competitive, albeit slightly under-the-radar, Pacific Division derby.
And who knows? Maybe if they had ushered in new coach Darryl Sutter one or two games sooner, they would be hosting Sunday night’s third-round opener rather than venturing into Jobing.com Arena.
On the heels of not-so-shocking, back-to-back first-round dismissals, the 2011-12 Kings wasted little time letting their promise perish with the leaves in the thick of autumn. A 6-2-1 run through the first three weeks of October promptly gave way to a 7-10-3 tumble.
At 13-12-4 overall, and with a cumulative 64-60 scoring differential working against his team, general manager Dean Lombardi sought a new voice in his dressing room and supplanted coach Terry Murray with interim stand-in John Stevens.
Stevens, who debuted Dec. 13 against the defending champions in Boston, lasted only through a four-game road trip, going 2-2-0 with a 14-6 scoring aggregate in favor of the opposition.
Sutter’s deal was finalized once the Kings returned home, and the team garnered a point in each of his first eight games at 5-0-3. That set the tone for a 25-13-11 run on his watch, enough to cement L.A.’s third consecutive playoff spot with only one game and two days left in the regular season.
Just as it was for the division champion Coyotes and the San Jose Sharks, who were sandwiched between Phoenix and L.A. with 96 total points, the brittle margin ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
