Feb 27, 2014; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (32) celebrates win with teammates against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Los Angeles Kings won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Do you remember the movie ‘Armageddon’? You know, the movie with a star-studded cast that had minimal acting about a giant space rock on a collision course with Earth. How could you forget?
There was a scene in that movie that best describes the Los Angeles Kings right now. If you recall, the astronaut/drillers needed to land on an asteroid and blow it up to save Earth. In order to do that, two space shuttles needed to whip around the moon, create enough speed to catch up to the asteroid and land on it. Only in Hollywood.
In comparison, the Kings looked to be facing playoff armageddon a few weeks ago as their early-season success, was deflated by a pre-Olympic slump. After the much-needed NHL break, LA has seemed to whip around the winter Olympics and charge toward the Stanley Cup playoffs.
So basically, the Olympics are the moon the Kings whip around and the asteroid is a Stanley Cup playoffs, which they seek to destroy. Is this making sense yet?
In their first games back from the Olympic break, the Kings have been a team on a mission. On Wednesday night, they came back to win 6-4 in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche. Thursday night, they went up to Calgary and blanked the Flames 2-0, giving superstar/Olympian, Jonathan Quick, his fourth shutout of the season on 25 saves. On Saturday, the Kings returned home to the Staples Center to beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-1.
Talk about a good start on their way to destroying
an asteroid
the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Sure the Kings may hit some debris in their final 20 games and may even lose a few guys in the process (RIP Owen Wilson’s character), possibly to injury or trade, but the goal is clear: blow up the competition and win the Stanley Cup.
The Kings are on a 4-game win streak that started before the Olympic break and look like the hockey club we knew from the beginning of the season. There are two big surprises from this.
First, Dustin Brown totaled 16 points in the 59 games before the Olympics (that is 0.27 points per game). He has had four points in the last three games (1.3 points per game) and one of those was even a goal. Despite not getting a medal for Team USA, Brown actually had 2 goals during the international competition. Has something clicked for the captain? Whatever it is, it could not come at a better time.
Second, in the previous 22 games before the Winter Olympics, the Kings only won 6 games and scored more than two goals only four times. In the last three games, they are averaging 3.67 goals per game.
The Kings with offense? Maybe this is Armageddon.
Whatever it is, LA seems to be heading in the right direction at the best possible time. They are currently 8 points ahead of fourth place Vancouver in the Pacific Division, giving them solid position for a non-wild card playoff spot. They still have a ways to go, but as we saw in the movie, there is still a lot of work to be done once they get to the asteroid Stanley Cup playoffs.
Now if only there was a soundtrack to this playoff run…
“I don’t want to close my eyes,
I don’t want to fall asleep,
Because ,
And I don’t want to miss a thing!”
Godspeed, LA Kings! Godspeed.
Mike W.R.
Twitter: @TheBigDisco