An uninspiring 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Monday night was as perplexing as it was stinging, particularly with the Kings still having some say in their playoff destiny.
Pierre-Luc Dubois and Quinton ByfieldIf you're going to drop a stinker on home ice, there are worse times to do it than in Game No. 1 after you've already sewn up a playoff spot.
But it has to concern the Los Angeles Kings that in a game where they still had something to play for they came out so lacking desperation and urgency that they lost to a non-playoff team and generated almost nothing.
Thanks in part to a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on home ice Monday night, the Kings have no idea where they'll finish in the Western Conference or where they'll be going for Games 1 and 2 of the first round of the playoffs. They could be off to Dallas, Vancouver or Edmonton.
"Everyone's a wagon," said Kings center Phillip Danault. "There's really no ideal scenario."
It would appear the Kings are facing a monumental challenge in Round 1 regardless of the opponent. Here's more from Los Angeles:
