Game 75: Kings 4, Avalanche 1

To peep out all the videos online about this game, check out today's Hockeywood Dailies.

O.K., Kings fans, it's gut check time.

Let's just get it out in the open right from the get go. The Anze Kopitar injury might well be the death knell to the team's playoff hopes. Sure, they are currently fifth overall, and with seven games to go, they have a better than average chance of holding on.

But at what cost? Another first-round exit? That may have happened anyway if Kopitar hadn't gotten injured. The Kings' haven't exactly been lighting the lamp this season, and are currently 23rd in the league in goals per game. Only two teams that are in the playoff conversation are lower (Nashville is 6th in the West and Montreal is the same in the East).

The combination of Kopitar and Justin Williams, who was knocked out of the lineup earlier this week against Calgary, may be too much too soon for the Kings to absorb. After all, how do you replace almost 25 percent of the offense lost from those two players? Hopes and dreams?

I listened to Kings' Talk on the way home (I had taken both my demon spawn to the game), and I heard both Nick Nickson and Daryl Evans do their best to quell the fears of fans of what missing Kopitar means. Things like "It's an opportunity for other players to step up" and "this team's strengths are defense and goaltending" are true but ring hollow, especially when you take away one of the best two-way players in the game right now. Sure, Kopitar's scoring will be missed, but his defensive responsibility will be missed way more.

It's worst-case scenario, folks. Scoring is still very important in a team's quest to hoist the Stanley Cup. The team to win the Cup in the last decade with the lowest goals per game was New Jersey, back in 2002-03 with their 14th-ranked offense.

So, we've established the Kings will NOT win the Stanley Cup this season. And that's fine. Like I said earlier, they probably weren't going to win it this year with Kopitar healthy either. There's just not enough guns in the arsenal, something that still needs to be addressed.

And before you ask, no, the Kings cannot call up the top prospect in the minors, Brayden Schenn. From what Pierre LeBrun said during CBC's Hot Stove discussion later Saturday night, the Kings would need one more "major" injury before they could call up. And I'm not going to root for an injury. That's just dumb.

No, it's gut check time for this club. Yes, they won Saturday. The question is, can they maintain enough forward progress to make the playoffs. I still think this young squad needs more playoff experience like they got last season against Stick In A Box.

Working through adversity worked well on Saturday. After Kopitar left the game, the Kings got two goals from Ryan Smyth and Trevor Lewis in the third period. It's a start. Let's hope the Kings can continue their three-game win streak when they travel to Edmonton to take on the hapless Oilers. Don't forget, that's also the day of the watch party, Maim Canada, down at Legends in Long Beach.

• AP: Kopitar breaks ankle in Kings’ 4-1 win over Avs

Kopitar, who appeared in his second All-Star game last month, played in a club-record 330 consecutive games—breaking the previous mark of 324 set by Marcel Dionne on March 15 at Nashville.

• LA Times: Kings' 4-1 win over Colorado tempered by loss of Kopitar

After years of missteps and misfortune, after carefully gathering the right components to build a team that could cause havoc in the playoffs, the Kings now face another test of their resilience and patience.

• LAKings.com: Painful victory as Kings beat Avalanche 4-1 

So a Kings team that has been strong defensively all season, but has often struggled with goal production, now faces a huge challenge without its top two scorers and in particular without Kopitar, who is arguably their top two-way player.

• LAKings.com: Kings lose Kopitar to ankle injury

After a couple minutes without movement, Kopitar rose tenderly and, without putting any weight on his leg, was helped off the ice by a team trainer and two teammates. Kopitar is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday, a team spokesman said.

• NHL.com: Kopitar injured in Kings' win over Avs 

It is a cruel setback for the Kings, who lost top-line winger Justin Williams to a dislocated shoulder on Monday. Kopitar plays on both special teams units and had thrived since centering the newly acquired Dustin Penner on the top line.

Reactions to Kopitar's injury

“He’s our best player. We’ve got to find a way, either way. Injuries happen during the year. You don’t want to have your best player go down, but if that’s the case, we need to shoulder the responsibility collectively and find a way. No other team is going to feel sorry for us... That’s part of an 82-game schedule, and we have to find a way to keep going as a team.”  – Dustin Brown, on filling Kopitar's absence.

“Not one guy can replace a guy like Kopitar. Everybody has to collectively come together and regroup. Everybody has got to fill a good role and it’s all about opportunity.” – Ryan Smyth, on the roles now on the team.

“He’s your top player, your top forward. There’s quite a hole that’s going to be there now, with him out of the lineup for this length of time. But I’ve been through these kinds of things before, with top guys being out because of injuries. It’s an opportunity. Other guys step up. The character of the team needs to step up.” – Terry Murray, on how to move forward from this point on.

They said it

“The game was good. We got the two points that we wanted to get. I thought we played a good game. I liked our third period. You lose your top player like that, to an injury, and nobody really knows what the extent of it is, but the attitude going into the third period was good. We played the right way, we kept the game simple and ended up getting a couple goals and finishing it off with the right attitude. I was very happy with the way the game ended.” – Terry Murray, on the game.

"I thought we started this game very well, weathered the stormed the second and closed it out in the third. We need to find a way to keep it simple against teams like this. If we play a tight game over the course of the game, then we’re going to win it because they’re going to be taking a lot more chances than we are. It’s really about limiting our mistakes.” – Dustin Brown, on the game.

“It’s a relief. It’s nice to contribute and feel a part, for sure. It’s a matter of being in the right positions, and don’t ride your highs too high or your lows too low, and you have stay an even keel. I thought it was a tough stretch but it’s nice to contribute.” Ryan Smyth, on his goal.