After Game 5 Loss, Is It Persperation Time for the Los Angeles Kings?

There were a few things that Los Angeles Kings fans probably knew would come up and bite them at some point in this Final.

After a 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils in Game 5 on Saturday, fans are probably thinking about that now. The Kings are 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Final series.

One issue was that their power play, after coming to life the past two games, wouldn't cash in necessary chances. Second was that Martin Brodeur would turn back the clock and steal a game or two. Both came to fruition Saturday night.

Just how devastating those things were Saturday will be answered in the coming game(s).

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It might not be that bad.

The thing about Brodeur at age 40 is he can recapture his old dominating form here and there, but struggles to string them together. He'll probably have to do it at least once more to pull off the unthinkable, and he'll have to do it with two cross-country flights facing him if it's going to come to that.

The second is that the Kings power play was still threatening, so it might break through again to see the Kings to the promised land.

Hockey's a fickle game. The past two games, the Kings have been as dominating as they have all series. And yet they lost both.

Brodeur had to make the far tougher saves, but he did. The Devils needed a couple bounces to win, a couple posts to come to the rescue, and they got them. To think that will last for four straight games would border on lunacy, but hockey tends to grapple with lunacy at times.

However, some warts that were covered up by Jonathan Quick and the power play recently are starting to come into relief. The Kings are getting basically nothing from their middle two lines. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were anonymous tonight.

Jarrett Stoll was very active, but Dustin Penner and Dwight King could have bought a ticket or hung out at the bar down the street listening to Springsteen for all the good they did. When Kopitar and Brown can't cover that up, the Kings look a little punchless.

But for the first time, the Kings have to sweat a bit.

They've had commanding leads, all attained on the road and coming home to their rabid fans at Staples Center.

Now they know they're one more loss away from having as much to lose as the Devils, and a Game 7 on the road.

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