Success! The Los Angeles Kings end their five-game road trip going 5-0. It’s been a loooooong while since something like that’s happened, but they pulled it out here and I couldn’t be happier. But I must say a few things on this last game against the New Jersey Devils.
1) There was nothing considerably great about this game. Was anyone else kinda… really bored? Maybe it was the 2:00pm PST start on a Sunday late-morning-afternoon-ish, but my lethargic eyes were watching an equally lethargic Kings team make an attempt to move their legs in a meaningful fashion. Perhaps it’s been the long road trip to the Eastern Conference or maybe it was because this was the 9th back-to-back so far this season; all I know is I wasn’t really expecting a win. Everything in the game told me the Kings were going to go 4-1 for this stint away from Staples Center, but a very unexpected goal came from Wayne Simmonds to tie the game up very late in the third period. In my mind overtime was looming upon the horizon and I was already thinking about what was on the menu for dinner.
2) If I thought Simmonds’ goal was unexpected, Drew Doughty‘s goal came out of NOWHERE. With less than 30 seconds to go in regulation, I found myself with my mouth hanging open. The blast from the high slot was all the Kings needed to get the game-winning goal. Well, perhaps having Dustin Brown and Ryan Smyth in front of Martin Brodeur helped.
3) Having two more points is spectacular, but I wouldn’t have stressed myself out had the Kings lost today. As of tonight, the Kings sit in 5th place with 69 points in the Western Conference. They are two away from the Phoenix Coyotes and three away from the Vancouver Canucks. I can only look at the standings and smile.