Kings vs Stars: Bouncing Back

The Stars last visit to Staples Center was one Kings fan would love to forget. On March 7, the Kings lost a heart-breaker in a shoot-out, and all I wanted for this game was to avoid a repeat performance of that night. Coming home from a Kopitar-less 1-1 split on the road in Edmonton and Vancouver, no one really knows on a game-to-game basis what to expect from this team in the win-loss column.

What we do know to expect is that our boys will try their hardest. This time they got rewarded with a 3-1 victory to the thunderous applause of Kings fans at Staples. The Kings are now only 2 points away from clinching a play-off spot, and they improved their standing to 4th in the Western Conference.

While the Kings are still getting caught by that bad habit of giving away a goal within 2 minutes of scoring one, things are certainly looking rosier at this point than most people expected. Case in point -- here's what The Hockey News wrote about the Kings in their February 21 trade deadline buzz issue:

"Funny how history repeats itself. Last year the Kings faded down the stretch by relying too much on No. 1 goalie Jonathan Quick. With backup Jonathan Bernier posting dismal numbers and fewer starts before the all-star break, the Kings may not even squeak in to this post-season unless another netminder can help."

This is the beauty of the last 2 weeks for the regular season in the wild Western Conference. No one really knows what will happen. You just hang on and enjoy the ride. If there is one thing you CAN expect with this Kings team, it's to expect the unexpected.

Some observations from my view in Section 119: 

•  Scoring from the blue line was one of our assets last season. It's starting to happen again (finally), but the players to watch aren't Doughty and Johnson. They're Greene and Mitchell. Who's "just" a shut-down D-man now?

Scoring face, bebeh....

No helmet required.

• Stars fans have some annoying habits. The worst is shouting "STARS" whenever the word comes up during the National Anthem. Apparently wearing your hair in a pony tail through a hat is also a requirement.

• It was terribly depressing watching a warm up without Kopi or Willy. Kopi always butt bumps the glass is Section 102 and goofs around with Brownie. Justin Williams will normally skate by and block my entire camera lens with his gorgeous head. Neither one of those things happened yesterday.

Seeing this didn't help either.

• Raise your hand if you miss THIS GUY. Didn't think so.

• Of course, there was one BIGGER douchebag on the Stars bench.

And he sucks his finger...

But don't worry, Poni can help you take your helmet off...

The next stop on the Kings road to the play-offs happens Monday in San Jose.  Huge is an understatement for this one. The Kings are still looking for a shot to win the Pacific Division and they're currently second in the race, 5 points behind San Jose. A win would also mean clinching a play-off berth for the second year in a row. Deep breaths, folks. We can do this! Expect the unexpected....

GO KINGS GO!