Game 73: Blues 2, Kings 0; Game 74: Kings 1, Stars 0 (shootout)

Lemme get this straight. 120 minutes without a goal? Are you kidding me? 52 shots, and not one tally? What in the Wide World of Sports in going on here.

Look, the NHL season is long, and the rigors of playing 60 minutes each game is exhausting. Never mind that the team is in each game they've played this season. They've had to learn an entirely new defensive mindset, grueling to say the least. A system that requires two-way play every shift. A system that is focused on locking down their opponents.

And it's worked. In 2007-2008, the Kings had a 3.17 goals against average, and allowed the third most shots in the league. And their penalty kill? Don't ask. This season, they've improved their GAA to 2.75 and are second only to the Sharks in shots allowed. And their penalty kill is ranked sixth in the whole league.

So why aren't they in the playoffs? They are tired. Players are falling left and right. Alexander Frolov, the Kings' leading goal scorer, is now gone for the rest of the road trip with the dreaded lower body injury. Jarret Stoll, the Kings' best faceoff artist, had to be helped off the ice in the third period against the Stars. The rigors of the rugged system is showing their effects now.

To borrow an analogy from Fight Club... when they started the season, they were all blobs of cookie dough. Now, they are carved out of wood. I'm sure many of them are in the best shape of their athletic careers. At the same time, those players who have a lot of milage already on them may be subject to upgrades in the off-season. Either that, or they are going to have to hit the gym in the off-season.

• AP: Rookie Berglund scores twice in third as Blues beat Kings

The fading Kings are in a 1-5-1 slump and are 2-9-1 in their past dozen games on the road. They walloped the Blues three straight times earlier in the season, but this was the first meeting since Dec. 11.

•  AP: Kings blank Stars in goalless shootout

Williams was up next, and he gave the Kings the extra point when his shot trickled into the net after Turco appeared to make the stop. At first, the referees ruled no-goal, but they went to video replay, which showed the puck over the goal-line.

•Yahoo: Team report

Los Angeles has two goals in the past four games, both on the power play, and hasn't scored at even strength since a 3-2 win at Boston on March 19.

They said it

“Obviously, he scores goals and, lately, we’ve been having trouble scoring goals. It’s one of those things where we have to learn to play in games like this when we don’t have one of our better players. It’s just another challenge we have to take on.”—Kings captain Dustin Brown, on the loss of wing Alexander Frolov to injury.

Looking through purple-hued googles

• A Queen Among Kings: Sofa King: Blues 2, Kings 0

There are about 10 games left and I'm just hoping the Kings don't crash land to 15th place in the West, but I actually don't see them ending in 14th as much of a stretch since the Blues have picked themselves back up and are in contention for a playoff spot. I just don't understand why the Kings can't have a season where they're magically contending for the 8th spot in the last month of the season.

• A Queen Among Kings: Better Than Nothing: Kings 1, Stars 0 (SO)

• The Throne Room: Quick’s Outstanding Play Finally Rewarded With Victory

• Examiner.com: Kings hope shootout victory isn’t too little, too late

Peeping the dailies
Kings lose to the Blues


Kings beat the Stars