Time to be worried about the Kings playoff chances?

[Daradon]

Hey gang,

One of the most interesting stories over the last four years in the NHL is that of the current reigning champs, the LA Kings. As we all know, they have looked unbeatable in the playoffs the two years they won the cup, either simply sweeping teams out the door, or even in the case of the Sharks, making a miraculous comeback, that somehow seemed a little expected. It's been hard to bet against them in a playoff matchup, but what makes it even more interesting is that the enter the playoffs at such a low seeding.

Which of course brings us to this year. The standard school of thought even with the Kings on the outside looking in, is that hey, it's the Kings, that's what they do. They'll squeak in and then make a bunch of noise. They'll be fine.

I felt that way before the All-Star break. But I'm beginning to wonder if this year may be the year it catches up to them. Currently they sit 5 points out of the wild card (with a game in hand on the Flames) and 10 points out of a spot in their division, which is looking like it will be the harder division to grab a spot in when the final results are in. Besides that however, they are 12th in the conference, with only Phoenix and Edmonton being worse than them as of when I am writing this. So points are half of the equation for them. They have teams to leapfrog. They have 'four point' conference matchups to win, if they want to get in.

Now there's lots of reasons why they could be excused for not making it into the playoffs. They've already accomplished the remarkable putting together two cups in such a short time. They are most likely experiencing some sort of Stanley Cup hangover this year, and expecting them to do it year after year is just crazy. But there could be hockey related reasons too. Is the team getting old (older)? The brusing style of play could be catching up to them, even the young guys. Are they tuning out Darryl? How much has the weakened play of Richards hurt them and their chances? Is it more than just a hangover or a weaker year in an otherwise strong and continuing legacy?

So what do you guys and gals think? Should Kings supporters and the team itself be worried right now, or will they be fine if they continue to play their game? If they do make it in, will they be a juggernaut once again? And if they do not, is it because they team is starting to change, or simply because they can't be expected to be a powerhouse year in and year out?

[Buff]

Yup. I'm worried for the Flames and we're 4 points ahead of 9th place.

Kings are 5 points back and aren't yet getting things rolling. It's getting a bit late for late season heroics.

Even if they sneak in, I don't think they'll make a big splash in the playoffs this year. They just don't seem to be clicking well.

[nik-]

The Kings missing the playoffs is not something that worries me. It's something I want.

We'll take that spot please and thank you.

[Daradon]

I originally had 'worried' in quotes, as I too would prefer to see a weaker Kings team for our benefit. One can only write so much in a headline. But come on guys, you know what I mean. Should Kings supporters or the Kings themselves be worried? Do you think they make it in?

[Sylvanfan]

Since the start of the lockout season to today, Kings players have played a lot of hockey. They had a pretty long playoff run in 13 which saw them play a tough 6 gamer against St.Louis, 7 against San Jose, before falling off in 5 to Chicago. They followed it up with a 26 game playoff run last year. Plus a few of their key guys also played in the Olympics and a fair bit too in Quick, Doughty, Carter, Kopitar.

I think they are in a lot of trouble for this season because over the course of 2 years, that is a lot of hockey for many of those players. Long term, I think they will be okay but there is no question that playoffs this year are starting to look a lot more unlikely and I don't know if they have the gas left in the tank to climb back in.

[Mony]

At first I thought the Kings were just doing their usual get-seeded-low, not the best regular season thing like they always do. Now I'm not too sure what's going on with that team. I watched the Chicago/LA game that was a week or two ago the guys mentioned that some Kings players this year just aren't performing the same, and you can guess that Voynov being gone also affects them badly. Dustin Brown hasn't done much - don't know about the past few games, but up until the Chicago game he was a disappointment.

I'll be curious to see if the team can pull it together. I hope not. Maybe they're just a tired group.

Kings fans and the Kings themselves should be worried, yes. Although I don't blame the fans for still having faith... they are the Kings after all, anything can happen.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Reasons why they aren't as good this year:

1) Hangover. It's a real thing and they're most definitely suffering from it.

2) Voynov debacle. Both on and off the ice, this has been a big detractor from the team.

3) Declining veterans. We all know about Mike Richards, but Dustin Brown and Justin Williams have been slowly declining in production for the past couple of years. Not to mention Stoll and Regehr who look to be nearing the end.

4) Mediocre Quick. They've always needed him to be superb to win a lot, so a .910 Sv% isn't going to cut it.

Some of those are fixable. You can replace Brown and Williams with Toffoli and Pearson and probably not miss much of a beat except for the experience level. Voynov's future is up in the air, so it's not certain how that gets fixed. Quick is having a below average year for him, so he should be back to form next year. If they don't make the playoffs, they'll have plenty of time to rest up and have no playoff hangover whatsoever.

They still have lots of playoff calibre pieces, but might need a tweak or two in the off-season to get back on track. Most of this is performance based and an aberration.

[Mony]

Also - I'm not an athlete and I've never played hockey before, but I always just assumed that the months of July, August, and some of September was enough rest time for Cup-winning teams. I didn't know the Kings playing this many games would have this kind of effect - but when you go balls to the wall hard like they do in the post-season, it's become clear to me the amount of games that they've played definitely could have tired them out. I don't think that's the sole reason, but it is part of it upon further contemplation.

I may have severely underestimated how hard it can be on your body even with a few months of that resting time.

[Buff]

Physically they can probably handle it. Mentally they may be tired.

On ice they need to have Quick bail them out a lot more than he has been this year. Other factors like Richards not meeting expectations and a couple of other vets declining sooner than normal are also playing into their performance.

I don't think the Kings make the playoffs this year.

[Northendzone]

i assume that when you are an NHL'r and in the playoffs, your life is pretty much on hold as long as your team is alive, so summer time is short, and it is a delicate balance between resting, getting healthy, doing stuff in your life like family BBQ's and what not and training

i always think the hardest part of getting back into the playoff race for a team in LA's position is jumping over teams rather than actually making up the points - if that makes sense

[The Yen Man]

Lol, knowing our luck, this thread pops up just as LA starts rattling off 10 wins in a row after today.

[lazypucker]

Why are we worrying about the Kings playoff chances? Are we actually rooting for them to get in?

I don't understand these elaborate posts....

[CSharp]

Meh, Kings/Sutter does this every year to sneak into 8th place to surprise the teams ahead of them. Still lots of time to make up ground. Just watch, after the trading deadline, they'll be pretty strong and unbeatable. Sutter's strategy is to get the team ready for the playoffs at the right time. Unlike the Sharks team that gets all of their points at the beginning of the season, the Kings gets on a roll and start peaking after the second round and going into the finals. He tried to do that with the Flames, but by the time they get to the playoffs, everyone is hurt and/or there's not enough depth to get through the first round. Kings are a talented team and have the size depth to push them into the playoffs and further.

[ah123]

With the way the Kings' luck has gone the last few years, I totally see them winning the draft lottery and getting McEichel if they miss the playoffs

[tvp2003]

April 9, Kings at Flames could end up being a very interesting game...

[Vinny01]

One thing about the Kings run last year is it took them 26 of a possible 28 games to win the cup. Their road out of the west was extremely difficult winning on the road in 3 straight series and game 7's.

They have slowed down this year their core is getting a bit older but still not overly that old. Having Richards decline to the point henis no longer with the team stings a bit but the loss of Voynov hurts the most. Also the are 2-12 in OT/SO this year so ofnthey had better luck there they would be comfortably in a playoff spot.

The Flames success in extra time is a huge reason they are in a playoff spot today

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by CSharp

Meh, Kings/Sutter does this every year to sneak into 8th place to surprise the teams ahead of them. Still lots of time to make up ground. Just watch, after the trading deadline, they'll be pretty strong and unbeatable. Sutter's strategy is to get the team ready for the playoffs at the right time. Unlike the Sharks team that gets all of their points at the beginning of the season, the Kings gets on a roll and start peaking after the second round and going into the finals. He tried to do that with the Flames, but by the time they get to the playoffs, everyone is hurt and/or there's not enough depth to get through the first round. Kings are a talented team and have the size depth to push them into the playoffs and further.

I think Sutter's been very quotable at being concerned about making the playoffs at all points of the year. I don't think he wants them to take it easy at any point just to peak at the right time.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Lol, knowing our luck, this thread pops up just as LA starts rattling off 10 wins in a row after today.

Heheh, I DID think about that before posting. Even as much as I know nothing I post on a message board will affect the outcome of a game, that thought always seems to pop into my head at one point. Human beings are funny creatures.

Then I took a breath and hit 'create new post'.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

I think Sutter's been very quotable at being concerned about making the playoffs at all points of the year. I don't think he wants them to take it easy at any point just to peak at the right time.

True. A coach has to say that though. And Darryl would definitely say that.

[dino7c]

LA has so many loser points...they don't even deserve to be close