What's to be said of this Los Angeles team that limped into the playoffs, and cruised to the Stanley Cup Finals in 14 games?
What's more impressive: That the Kings have scored goals at will after a season in which they couldn't buy one when they needed it most? Or, that Jonathan Quick has allowed 22 goals in the 14 games he's played?
What could be more remarkable than the job Darryl Sutter has done to get such a complete team-effort on virtually every night of these playoffs?
And, how often is it that you can trade a primary defenseman off your blue line for a semi-star forward, and have it work in your favor?
Dustin Penner scoring the series-winner in the conference finals?
This team was made to play for the Cup, and after so many punishing off-seasons for Dean Lombardi, the Kings have to be considered the undisputed favorites, even if they face the East-leading New York Rangers in the finals.
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1) Watching Drew Doughty blow a gasket in overtime, not once, but twice, was pretty entertaining. How he only ended up with two penalty minutes under the circumstances was incredible. If Kerry Fraser were officiating, he'd have sat for 10, even in OT.
2) When Shane Doan lost his cool after Dustin Brown's blatant knee-on-knee hit on Michal Roszival, you could just tell it was going to have a negative effect on the Coyotes. The non-call, combined with Doan's boiling frustration was enough for the team to lose its focus. What was unpredictable, was that it would cost the Coyotes the series on the very next shift.
Don't see how it's possible to not feel bad for Mike Smith. What a playoffs for him. What a season. And he fought so hard to the bitter end.
3) Ovechkin to the Habs? It's the kind of splash Marc Bergevin could cement his legacy with, at the very onset of his tenure. Can he make it happen? Maybe, one day. Can he make it happen now? I think it would be a smarter bet to have the Kings being swept in the finals by Jersey or New York.
4) This Ovechkin speculation (if that's what you want to call it) came from
this article, by Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. More interesting-- is Matheson's suggestion that the time could be ripe to move Tomas Plekanec.
5) Martin Brodeur is a win away from giving all the doubters over the last few years a huge FU. Barring a collapse, in which he's the reason they lose the next two games against the Rangers, has he not already done that?
When you think about the struggle he endured to return to form after a career-threatening injury (the same one suffered by Brian Gionta this year) and the pain of last season, this is a remarkable journey he's been on.
Can the Devils--should they prevail--offer the Kings their greatest challenge thus far? I think they would.
6) The Rangers had gone 17-straight games without scoring more than three goals. They went down 3-0 last night and managed to tie the game. They had plenty of chances to get that elusive fourth goal, but instead, the number now goes to 18.
It really highlights how great Henrik Lundqvist has had to be for them. Not just in the playoffs, but all season. Even if Lundqvist delivers his best, it may not be enough for them to overcome this situation.
7) I don't think I've read a better interview this year than the one Dave Stubbs held with Jaroslav Spacek. You can find it on hockeyinsideout.com.
Spacek confirmed what the media and fans have assumed all along. That the classlessness of the moves made by Pierre Gauthier were a manifest of his character, and that they were congruent with every other decision he made in running the team into the ground.
When you hear Geoff Molson speak of Bergevin's communication being the key distinguishing characteristic that had him make this choice, you know the Canadiens have at least identified where they need to improve.
Treat players like humans. They may seem super-human, and you may pay them millions to be professionals, but they are people. How that was so blatantly ignored by Gauthier and co., in light of such abysmal failure, is beyond logic.
8) With Scott Melanby leaving the Blues, Bob McKenzie has posited that Bergevin is likely to bring him on board with the Canadiens.
Don't know much about Melanby as a coach, but his players-- like David Perron among others voicing their opinions of his departure on Twitter yesterday-- sure seem to admire him.
9) Speaking of Twitter, you can now give Carey Price a follow. He's opened an account under the username @CP0031.
10) Whoever they play, Kings in 6.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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