The Los Angeles Kings have feasted on home cooking at Staples Center, winning their last 14 consecutive contests - including all seven in the postseason. The fifth-seeded Kings will need that trend to continue in Tuesday's Game 3 of the Western Conference final if they wish to avoid being pushed to the brink of elimination by the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks. Los Angeles was able to overcome an 0-2 deficit in its first-round series by winning four straight versus fourth-seeded St. Louis.
For the Kings to continue their quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, they'll need their offense to make an appearance. Los Angeles has mustered just 29 goals in 15 playoff games - and the waters have been rough against Corey Crawford, who has stopped 50-of-53 shots to win Games 1 and 2. Kings coach Darryl Sutter didn't mince words when noting the struggles of the line consisting of captain Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams. "They've struggled offensively, for sure," Sutter said. "That's not me jumping out making a statement. That is a fact. That is a statistical fact."
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ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS: Pushed to the brink of elimination by Original Six rival Detroit in the second round, Chicago has looked every bit the part of the team that clinched its second Presidents' Trophy in franchise history. The Blackhawks have won five in a row - with more than just captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane providing the offense. "When we're rolling four lines, keeping (shifts) short and rolling hard, I think we can have a great hockey team and a great pace in our game," said Bryan Bickell, who netted his sixth goal of the playoffs on Sunday.
ABOUT THE KINGS: Jonathan Quick found himself in an unfamiliar place Sunday - on the bench. The reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner yielded four goals versus the Blackhawks to earn himself an early exit in a postseason game for the first time since April 23, 2010. Rather than reflect, Quick did his best to look ahead. "We just haven't been finding a way," the Connecticut native said. "We have to find a way. They did their job, now we have to go home and do our job."
OVERTIME
1. Chicago C Michal Handzus has collected two goals and three assists during his five-game point streak. He has one of each in the first two contests of this series.
2. Los Angeles C Mike Richards sat out Sunday's tilt with an upper-body injury - and is expected to be a game-time decision on Tuesday.
3. Blackhawks D Brent Seabrook has scored goals in two of his last three games.