Matt Greene reminded his teammates of his importance in Game 5 of the Kings' second-round series with the Sharks.
The reargard played in Game 4, his first action in 26 days after dealing with an undisclosed injury, but it was more of a feeling-out process. Game 5 was a different story as he was physical -- he had four hits and continuously cleared traffic from the crease -- and received important penalty-kill ice time. "When he comes back, I think the things that you don't see - the leadership in the dressing room, that powerful voice, I think - all year we missed him," Mike Richards said. "On the ice, too, just how physical he plays and how hard he is to play against."

Jarret Stoll (undisclosed) skated on Friday for the first time since absorbing a high-hit from San Jose's Raffi Torres on May 14.
Stoll is believed to be recovering from head and shoulder injuries. "He skated for a few minutes this morning, so you just keep seeing where it goes," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "It's not if he fell off the bike because he had a headache or something, then you're back to square one. It's basically, OK, he rode the bike, had a certain heart rate for eight minutes, so it's really not that big a deal. So this morning he went and skated for 15, so then you just evaluate again tomorrow morning and go from there." Sutter added that Stoll isn't close to returning.

Game 6 between the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks will be played at either 8:00 or 10:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.
The deciding factor will be Game 5 of the Pittsburgh-Ottawa series on Friday. If Pittsburgh wins, then that series is over and the Kings will start at 8. If Ottawa wins, then a Game 6 will be necessary in that series, which will be played at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. The Kings-Sharks game will be consequently pushed back to prevent or at least minimize the potential overlap.

Kyle Clifford recorded his first point of the postseason on Thursday.
Clifford was moved to the top line to help spark Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams. The move worked as the three combined for the first goal in the Kings' 3-0 victory. It wouldn't be surprising to see Clifford back on the top line for Game 6 on Sunday.

With Thursday's victory, Jonathan Quick is the Kings' all-time leader in postseason wins.
Quick has won 27 career playoff contests and surpassed Kelly Hrudey. "Obviously what Kelly meant to this organization 20 years ago was pretty impressive, everything he accomplished here," Quick said. He added, "He's very competitive and hated to lose, obviously. Being able to pass him on that list, obviously it's an accomplishment, but obviously wins are a team accomplishment, so you've got to give credit to the guys you played with." He also earned his seventh playoff shutout on Thursday, which puts him in a five-way tie for 18th place in the NHL's all-time leaderboard. Quick has become an amazing postseason goaltender with a 1.96 GAA and .932 save percentage.

Anze Kopitar, who had only one goal in his previous 26 games, broke a goalless game late in the second period for the Los Angeles Kings Thursday night, and it turned out to be the winner in a 3-0 playoff triumph over the San Jose Sharks.
Kopitar's second playoff goal came at 18:08 of the second period. Kopitar, generally recognized as the Kings' most talented offensive player, had complained earlier during this series that his team needed to take more shots at San Jose goalie Antti Niemi; the Kings wound up with 28 in the Thursday win. Slava Voynov pitched in with his fourth playoff goal on a power play early in the third period and Jeff Carter notched his fifth playoff goal in the Sharks' empty net late in the third. It was the Kings' 13th consecutive home victory.

Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings turned aside every shot the San Jose Sharks directed at him Thursday night en route to a 3-0 shutout.
The victory gave the defending-champion Kings a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against San Jose. The Sharks took 24 shots on goal but Quick was sharp and the Kings never were in danger of losing this game on their home ice, where they now have won 13 consecutive games, dating back to March.

Jarret Stoll has not resumed skating since suffering an upper-body injury in Game 1 against San Jose, but he has been doing some off-ice workouts.
"He rode yesterday, rode the bike for a few minutes, and you've got to watch heart rate," coach Darryl Sutter said Thursday. "Then he'll do that again today. It is that protocol. So is that progress? It is if it's good today. He's out at the practice rink this morning. [Reporter: But he's not skating?] No. He's not skating." TSN's Darren Dreger has reported that Stoll suffered head and shoulder injuries after being hit by Raffi Torres.

Jarret Stoll (undisclosed) isn't expected to return on Thursday.
Stoll has been sidelined with what's likely a head injury after being hit by Raffi Torres. Torres was suspended for his actions. "He's obviously a very good player," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said of Stoll. "The suspension that Raffi had imposed on him also affects us, so we both lost valuable players in this series. Both teams have players that are playing banged up, and the positive thing for both teams is that no one is really making excuses. Whoever you put out there has to play. That's the way it's got to be."

Kyle Clifford skated with Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams during Wednesday's practice.
If the Kings go with those lines on Thursday, then this would be a big opportunity for Clifford. The Kings top line has been struggling in the postseason, so perhaps this change will provide them with a spark. That being said, Clifford isn't an known for his scoring abilities, but Williams sees the benefit of him being on their line. "We're obviously starved for goals, and there's a reason for that. Not enough net pressure, not enough traffic, not enough rebounds, not enough going to the net with a purpose. Kyle brings all of those, and if we are to play together tomorrow, we're going to need to do that to get results," Williams said on Wednesday.

Dustin Brown was taken off the Kings' top line during Wednesday's practice.
Brown skated on the third line with Dwight King and Trevor Lewis. The Kings' first line hasn't been effective in the playoffs and Brown is one of the players that's been struggling. He has just two goals and three points in 10 games, although he also leads the team with 46 hits.

Robert Scuderi thinks the Kings slow start cost them on Tuesday.
"I think the challenge for us is - as Darryl would say - `starting on time,'" Scuderi said. "I thought they dominated the first. Second period, I thought they dominated the first half. We took the second half, and we dominated the third. When you think about it, it's pretty much an even game, but they buried on their chances." Scuderi added that the Kings didn't learn their lessons from Game 3, so now the series is tied. The good news for the Kings is that the series is moving back to Los Angeles for Game 5.

Dustin Penner appeared to score a goal on Tuesday, but it was judged to have came after a quick whistle.
"Well, I'm sure it's in the rule book," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "When the whistle goes, right? So what are they going to come and tell us? They're going to come and say they lost sight of the puck and they blew the whistle." The Kings ended up losing the game 2-1 and now the series is even at 2-2.

Anze Kopitar has just one goal in his last 26 contests.
Kopitar did get an assist on Tuesday to end his four-game points drought. The Kings have only managed two goals in their last two games and consequently their second-round series against the San Jose Sharks is now even at 2-2.

Mike Richards is leading all Kings players with nine points in 10 playoff games.
Richards scored the Kings' lone goal on Tuesday. He's traditionally been an effective player in the playoffs with 22 goals and 74 points in 93 career games.

Matt Greene made his 2013 postseason debut on Tuesday.
Greene had been dealing with an undisclosed injury. He had two blocked shots and four hits in 14:08 minutes of ice time.

Mike Richards provided the only offense for the Los Angeles Kings with a third period power play goal in their 2-1 Game 4 loss to San Jose on Tuesday.
The Kings offense sputtered in San Jose, after starting the series strong. The team was completely outplayed in the first period, resulting in a 15-3 shot differential in favor of the Sharks. L.A. turned it around a bit in the third, mustering some quality chances in the form of 14 shots, including Richards' tally. However, the team needs to solve their offensive dilemmas as they head home for Game 5 on Thursday. Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar both recorded assists in the loss and led the team with four shots apiece.

Jonathan Quick allowed two goals on 23 shots, as the Kings dropped Game 4 to the Sharks by a score of 2-1.
Quick was tested early and often, stopping 14 of 15 shots in the first period, as the Sharks sent a slew of pucks at him throughout the frame. He faced just eight shots the rest of the way, but a San Jose power play goal in the second proved the difference, as L.A. was unable to generate successful scoring chances. Quick has been pretty impressive this series, despite dropping back-to-back 2-1 contests in San Jose. Hopefully the shift back to L.A. for Game 5 will change the Kings' fortune and give Quick some offensive help.

Keaton Ellerby will be a healthy scratch Tuesday night.
Matt Greene, who had been sidelined with an undisclosed injury, will take his spot in the lineup.

Matt Greene (undisclosed) is participating in the pregame warmup and it looks like he will suit up in Game 4 Tuesday night.
He is wearing an "A" on his jersey, which indicates that he'll play for the first time since April 24.

Kyle Clifford is taking part in Tuesday's pregame warmup, while Tanner Pearson is not.
It's probably safe to assume that Clifford will be back in the lineup for Game 4.

Los Angeles Kings coach Darryl Sutter wouldn't confirm if Kyle Clifford will be in the lineup for Tuesday's Game 4.
We didn't expect Sutter to reveal anything about his lineup until he absolutely has to minutes before the puck drops. However, Clifford said Monday he was ready to return and both team's beat writers seem to believe he'll be in the lineup Tuesday night. Stay tuned.

Justin Williams said the Los Angeles Kings need more offense from their top players.
"It's going to take our best players, myself at the top of the list, to get more offense," Williams said. "Plain and simple, your guys who produced during the year need to produce just as much, if not more, during the playoffs." Williams has just two points in the playoffs -- a goal and an assist -- and nothing in the three games against San Jose. The Kings have a 2-1 series lead but have scored just seven goals in the three games. While Mike Richards and Jeff Carter each have three points in the series, regular-season scoring leader Anze Kopitar hasn't registered a point since May 8 and is likely one of the people Williams is not-so-subtly addressing.

To update an earlier post, Kyle Clifford expects to play in Game 4 Tuesday night.
"It definitely looks that way," Clifford said after practice Monday. "It feels good to get back in the lineup. Playing with those guys, it's going to be a lot of fun." He skated on the fourth line with Brad Richardson and Colin Fraser during Monday's session. Rookie forward Tanner Pearson would likely draw out of the lineup to make room for Clifford's return.

According to a report from TSN, Jarret Stoll is unlikely to be back during Los Angeles' second-round series against the San Jose Sharks.
TSN insider Darren Dreger reported that Stoll suffered a head injury, which is the primary ailment, and a shoulder injury when he was checked by Raffi Torres.

Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) skated with Colin Fraser and Brad Richardson on the fourth line during Monday's practice.
He has missed the team's last four playoff games, but could return for Game 4 on Tuesday night.

Dustin Brown has been named a finalist for the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award.
He has served as Kings' captain for the past five seasons and is frequently among the league leaders for hits. Brown supports several charities through his physical style. He donates $50 for each hit he delivers which has helped him raise $60,000.

The Los Angeles Kings have been getting a lot more production from their second line of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter and whoever Darryl Sutter likes at the moment over their top line of Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams and Dustin Brown.
"Well, Richards' line has produced more in the playoffs than Kopi's line, so it's who you like most is your top line. I don't think you can get by with a "top line" - one top line," Sutter said. "I think we're playing against a team with two top lines, and we need our two top lines, without having our top checking centerman, we need those two lines to be very productive, and I think if I look at the series, just thinking about it, I think we've scored four even strength goals, and I think Richards' line has scored three and Lewie and Tyler's scored one last night. So that's four in the series." The Kings need the Kopitar line to start scoring if they hope to advance.

Jonathan Quick needs to control his temper a little better according to coach Darryl Sutter.
Quick picked up a game misconduct for abuse of officials at the end of Game 3 when he thought the referees gave the Kings the short end of the stick by calling two penalties in the last minute of the third. "I think he's got to handle that," Sutter said. "He can't be frustrated. That's a byproduct of being a great goaltender. It's very simple," Sutter said. "That's part of being on a good team and looked on as the best player and looked on as a top goalie That's exactly what they're doing [with contact] and we saw it the last series with two or three of their players."

Anze Kopitar says the Los Angeles Kings need to shoot the puck more in Game 3.
The Kings were outshot 40-27 in Game 2. "I think we've got to throw more shots at Niemi," Kopitar said. "I don't think we've done a very good job throughout the series with the exception of the last seven minutes in Game 2, where we peppered him because we were desperate. So we've got to play like that right from the start." Kopitar has a goal and four points in nine games and has scored only once in his past 25 games. The Kings need a lot more production from their top offensive player if they hope to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Jonathan Quick received a game misconduct for ranting at an official in Game 3, but it will stop at that.
Quick won't receive supplementary discipline for whatever he said to a referee. It's not surprising that it stayed at that, but considering the $100K fine the San Jose Sharks received recently, you never know.

Jarret Stoll didn't skate on Sunday.
The defensive center is dealing with an undisclosed injury suffered from the hit that led to Raffi Torres' series-long suspension. The Los Angeles Kings lost the San Jose Sharks in Game 3, so it's looking like that Western Conference semifinals bout could be challenging enough that his presence might be missed.

After previously practicing with a no-contact jersey, Kyle Clifford practiced normally for the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.
Or at least he's not wearing that specific sweater while skating, indicating there's at least been a little bit of progress for Clifford. The Kings still aren't sharing what, exactly, is bothering him.

Jordan Nolan was a healthy scratch on Saturday.
Nolan was replaced in the Kings lineup by Tanner Pearson. Nolan had four penalty minutes with nary a point in five previous playoff games this season.

The Los Angeles Kings dropped to 15-24 all-time in Game 3's with their 2-1 loss in overtime Saturday.
The Kings still lead the best-of-seven series against San Jose 2-1. They will try and take a 3-1 lead when they meet the Sharks in San Jose Tuesday for Game 4.

Robert Scuderi had six blocked shots to lead the Kings Saturday.
Scuderi is now tied for third in the NHL with 23 blocked shots, trailing only Johnny Boychuk (32) and Daniel Girardi (29). Scuderi has two assists in nine playoff games this season.

Trevor Lewis said 'something happened' when he was called for goaltender inference with five seconds remaining in regulation time.
The penalty put the Kings down two men heading into the overtime as the Sharks Patrick Marleau pushed him into Antti Niemi in the Sharks net. While the Kings killed off the first penalty, they were unable to handle the onslaught of the Sharks as Logan Couture scored at the 1:29 mark of overtime.

Keaton Ellerby replaced Alec Martinez in the Kings lineup Saturday.
Ellerby was plus-one with three hits and two blocked shots in 12:31 minutes of action. It was his first game since Game 4 of the opening round against the Blues.

Tanner Pearson made his NHL debut Saturday.
Pearson played only 5:44 minutes on the fourth line with Brad Richardson and Colin Fraser. "I was coming up to be a black ace, just expecting to skate with them," Pearson said. "I guess anything can happen. . . .If you had asked me three years ago and saying I'd be playing my first NHL game in three years, I would have taken it in a heartbeat but I probably wouldn't have believed you." Pearson was the Kings first round pick in the 2012 Draft after going undrafted in his previous two years of eligibility. He had 19 goals and 47 points in 64 AHL games and looks to have a bright future in the NHL.

Jonathan Quick was given a game misconduct at the end of Game 2 Saturday.
The mild-mannered Quick was not at all happy that the Sharks won at the 1:29 mark of overtime after Los Angeles was given a pair of penalties in last minute of regulation and was given the penalty for abuse of officials. While the Kings killed off the first penalty, they gave up a goal to Logan Couture with Trevor Lewis still in the box. Quick and the Kings will now look to bounce back Tuesday in Game 4 as they lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.

Jonathan Quick stopped 38 of 40 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss Saturday night.
Los Angeles was outshot in every period of Saturday's contest. Quick held his own, but surrendered both goals when the Sharks had the man advantage. He now has a 1.60 GAA and .947 save percentage in nine postseason starts. Los Angeles still has a 2-1 series lead heading into Game 4 on Tuesday.

Tyler Toffoli netted an unassisted goal in the Kings' 2-1 overtime defeat on Saturday.
It was Toffoli's first career playoff goal. Jeff Carter and Brad Richardson each recorded four shots on goal. Drew Doughty blocked a team-high five shots. Colin Fraser and Dustin Brown each had six hits for the Kings. Anze Kopitar won 16 of his 23 faceoff attempts in the losing effort.

Tanner Pearson is projected to make his NHL debut on Saturday.
Pearson will likely skate alongside Brad Richardson and Colin Fraser on the fourth line. He had 19 goals and 47 points in 64 AHL games this season.

Jarret Stoll (undisclosed) will miss Game 3 against the San Jose Sharks.
Stoll suffered an injury when Raffi Torres hit him in the head in Game 1. He has an assist and 23 hits in seven playoff contests.

Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) will not be available Saturday night.
Clifford isn't sure if he'll be able to return before the end of the second round. He had seven goals and 14 points in 48 regular season games.

Coach Darryl Sutter was not happy with the play of his defenseman, save for the effort of Drew Doughty.
Doughty was a stud on the blueline once again as he played a team-leading 28:28 minutes and scored a power play goal, his second goal of the post-season. "Our defense can clearly do a better job at that (getting more involved in the play), other than Doughty last night," coach Darryl Sutter said. "I think he had . . .maybe nine total attempts, and he had five shots. After that, we were. . .not nearly as involved, or what we were getting from the outside from some guys that are looked on as goal scorers or shooters for their team, what they were doing in the series - things like that." Game 3 will be played on Saturday with the Kings leading two games to none.

Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) hasn't been cleared for contact yet.
When asked if he'd be able to return before the end of the second round, Clifford said, "It's up in the air right now." He's missed three straight games due to the injury.

Anze Kopitar needed stitches after being struck in the face by the puck Thursday, but he's otherwise fine.
Kopitar left the game briefly, but was able to return. "They numbed me up pretty good right after for stitches, so I didn't really feel anything," Kopitar said. "So it wasn't too bad. But after it wore off, it was sore a little bit but nothing too bad." Needless to say, he's expected to play Saturday.

Dustin Brown scored a power-play goal in the Kings' 4-3 victory on Thursday.
Brown has been quiet in the playoffs from an offensive production standpoint, but perhaps this is a turning point. He was one of Los Angeles' heroes last year with eight goals and 20 points in their Stanley Cup winning run.

As expected, Brad Richardson was inserted into the Kings' lineup on Thursday due to the injury to Jarret Stoll.
"I thought he was nervous," Kings coach Darryl Sutter remarked. Richardson recorded an assist and three hits, but also finished the night with a minus-one rating. He logged 11:00 minutes of playing time.

Kings coach Darryl Sutter didn't have a problem with his team's efforts in their come-from-behind 4-3 victory on Thursday.
Los Angeles scored two power-play goals in the final two minutes of play in part thanks to Marc-Edouard Vlasic's controversial delay of game penalty. That might lead to remarks that the Kings got lucky in this contest, but when Sutter was asked if he had concerns about his team's performance, he fired back. "Every question you ask - we shouldn't have even won a game yet," Sutter said. "When you go to 16 teams in the playoffs, there's a good chance the other team is going to be leading a game at some point. I have yet to have a series or a game where you totally control the whole game. I was hoping the experience of you watching that you'd grab onto that. We're playing a really good hockey club, and there's a good chance they're going to have momentum, too." Seven of the Kings' eight playoff contests have been decided by a single goal.

Tyler Toffoli earned his first career playoff point on Thursday.
Toffoli assisted on Trevor Lewis' game-winning goal. It was just his 14th career NHL contest, including both regular season and playoff matches.

Jeff Carter had a goal and an assist in Game 2 on Thursday.
Carter has four goals and six points over the last five contests. He was a dominate goal scorer in the regular season, but also a hot/cold player. Right now he's on fire and the Kings are reaping the benefits.

Mike Richards recorded an assist in the Kings' 4-3 win Thursday.
Richards has seven points in his last five contests. He's tied for sixth in the NHL with seven assists in the playoffs.

Jonathan Quick stopped 28 shots as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-3 to take a 2-0 series lead.
Quick was up 2-0 before giving up three straight goals to the Sharks but a great comeback by the Kings with less than two minutes remaining gave Quick his sixth win in the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs. Quick is now 6-2 this postseason with a 1.56 GAA and a .947 save percentage, both good enough for third spot among goaltenders in the playoffs.

Trevor Lewis scored the winner with 1:21 left in the third period to give the Los Angeles Kings a 4-3 win in Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-finals.

Anze Kopitar has returned to action.
Kopitar took a shot off his face but with the Kings down 3-2 in the third, he quickly returned to the bench when there was no obvious injury and is now back on the ice.

Brad Richardson has drawn into the Kings lineup in place of the injured Jarret Stoll.
Richardson played in the first game of the playoffs against the Blues but had been a healthy scratch in the last six playoff games before tonight. He had only one goal and six points in 16 games this season so do not expect a lot of scoring when he does get into the Kings lineup.

Jarret Stoll won't play Thursday night in Game 2 against San Jose.
He wasn't expected to play after taking a high hit from Raffi Torres in Game 1. Stoll may have suffered a head injury on the play and his status beyond a day by day basis is unclear.

Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) won't be in Los Angeles' lineup for Game 2 Thursday night.
He hasn't played since Game 5 of the opening round against St. Louis because of an unknown ailment.

Jarret Stoll (undisclosed) isn't expected to play in Game 2 on Thursday.
Stoll might have suffered a head injury when he was hit by San Jose's Raffi Torres. "Stolly.is clearly one of our top penalty killers. Him and Lewie always start cause of draws and.it's an opportunity for someone else to step into a role on the PK," Dustin Brown said. It's not clear how much time Stoll will miss, but injury updates are usually few and far between in the playoffs.

Dustin Brown cautioned against his team going to far in an effort to get retribution for Raffi Torres' hit on Jarret Stoll.
Stoll was knocked out of the game after Torres' shoulder appeared to make contact with Stoll's head. "You don't want to see a guy, a teammate get hurt like that," Brown said. "It's important to understand there's ways to do it within the rules and ways to do it throughout a series within the rules, and that's what we have to do, regardless of what happens. Again, it's playoffs, and the best retribution is winning games right now." The Kings will get a chance to take a 2-0 lead on the Sharks on Thursday.

Brad Richardson has spent the Kings' last six games in the press box.
That being said, Richardson might be inserted into the lineup on Thursday due to the injury to Jarret Stoll. "He's an energy guy for us," Dustin Brown said of Richardson. "He's not the biggest guy, but he always provides a spark for our lineup. He's shown he's a very versatile guy in the fact that he can play pretty much anywhere in our lineup and be effective. Part of this time of the year is finding depth guys that can step up at the right times. If he gets the opportunity, he needs to be ready to go."

Jarret Stoll might have suffered a head injury when he was hit by San Jose's Raffi Torres.
Torres' appeared to make contact with Stoll's head late the second period and Stoll wasn't available for the third period. Kings coach Darryl Sutter was asked about Stoll's status after the game. He responded with, "You know what? I didn't play Jarret in the third period, and he wasn't resting, so that pretty well tells you, doesn't it?" The obvious fear from the outside looking in is that Stoll is dealing with concussion-like symptoms, but that hasn't been confirmed.

Mike Richards had a goal and an assist on Tuesday.
Richards now has six points in his last four playoff contests. He's traditionally been a very effective player in the postseason with 72 points in 90 games.

The Kings are 4-0 at home in the playoffs.
That's a new record for most consecutive playoff wins at home. The Kings haven't lost at home March 23 and they're now 23-4-1 overall at the Staples Center in 2013. The fact that Los Angeles has home ice advantage in the second round could be a huge boost against the San Jose Sharks.

Jonathan Quick set a franchise record with his sixth career playoff shutout.
Quick turned aside 35 Sharks shots in the Kings' 2-0 victory on Tuesday. He's having another phenomenal postseason with a 1.36 GAA and .953 save percentage in seven starts.

Antti Niemi looked a bit shaky in Game 1, turning aside just 18 shots in the Sharks 2-0 loss on Tuesday.
Niemi was particularly impressive in the Sharks opening round sweep of Vancouver, so the result is a bit surprising. He did keep his team in the game, but received no offensive help, largely due to his goaltending counterpart's performance. Niemi will need to match Quick's effort if the Sharks want to slow down the defending champs

Slava Voynov and Mike Richards powered the Kings to a 2-0 Game 1 victory over San Jose on Tuesday night with a goal and an assist each.
Voynov scored his third goal of the postseason thanks to a great hustle play from Richards, while Richards tipped in his first after a Voynov point shot. They've both been among the Kings' top offensive players in the playoffs, and will be key for the remainder of this series. Jeff Carter was a plus-2 and added an assist in the win.

Jonathan Quick stood tall, stopping every shot he faced in the Kings' 2-0 Game 1 win over the Sharks on Tuesday.
After a rocky regular season, Quick looks to be dialed in, playing up to his Conn Smythe performance last postseason. He stalled the Sharks on a number of quality offensive chances, and shut down their powerplay. If he continues to outplay Antti Niemi, the defending champs look likely to return to the Western Conference finals.

Jarret Stoll is not on the Kings' bench for the third period of Tuesday night's game.
No word on when and how Stoll was hurt, but we will update if anything develops.

Matt Greene (undisclosed) isn't expected to play Tuesday against San Jose when the second round of the playoffs begins.
He participated in the team's morning on the fourth pair alongside Keaton Ellerby. Greene is listed as day-to-day.

Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) is not expected to be in the lineup for Tuesday's Game 1.
Clifford didn't practice for the second straight day Tuesday. The rugged winger was injured during the Kings' physical first-round series against the Blues and hasn't played Game 5 of that matchup. Jordan Nolan is expected to replace Clifford as the left wing on the Kings' fourth line.

Dustin Brown said the Los Angeles Kings will have to be even better on the penalty kill during their second-round series against the San Jose Sharks.
"They really thrive on their power play," Brown said. "You look at their stretches during the regular season when they went on those tears, it's because their power play was really good. Our PK was good last series, but it's going to have to be even better against these guys." Brown and the Kings had the fourth-best PK unit through the first round, but the Sharks scored seven power-play goals in just four games, tied for the league lead with two teams that played six and seven games in their series.

Matt Greene (undisclosed) was back at practice Monday.
He is listed as "day-to-day" with an injury unrelated to his back. The veteran blueliner's status for Game 1 against San Jose on Tuesday night is uncertain.

Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) didn't skate on Monday.
The Kings didn't update his status after the session, so his availability for the start of Round 2 is questionable. Clifford didn't play in Game 6 against St. Louis.

Justin Williams may have been the Kings best forward in the first round.
Williams played well defensively like he always does and had 24 shots on goal to lead the team, while scoring twice and adding an assist. He is worth owning in playoff pools as the Kings are considered the favorites to move on in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs as they will have home ice advantage when they play the Sharks.

There are no updates on the status of Kyle Clifford and Matt Greene.
Clifford is out with an undisclosed injury after he was unable to play in Game 6. Greene is also out with an undisclosed injury as he has not played since April 24. He has been practicing so he could return to action in the second round against San Jose.

The Los Angeles Kings will stay in California for Round 2 as their opponents will be either the Anaheim Ducks or San Jose Sharks.
This is welcome news for the Kings who will not have to travel the thousands of extra miles should they be playing any Mid-West team. They will face Anaheim if the Ducks defeat Detroit tonight or San Jose if Detroit will prevails. The lack of travel will certainly help if they can advance to the Conference finals.

The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Anthony Stewart from the minors.
Stewart was acquired by the Kings from the Hurricanes after the lockout but spent the season in the minors where he had four goals and seven points in 30 games. He also spent the lockout playing in England where he had six goals and 11 points in 19 games for Nottingham.

Kyle Clifford did not play in Game 6.
Clifford did not participate in the morning skate on Friday as Darryl Sutter said he had a maintenance day off. Stay tuned to see if Clifford was injured or just a healthy scratch.

Robyn Regehr broke his nose for the second time in Game 5.
Regehr also broke his nose in Game 1 after David Backes kicked him in the face and it was broken again on Wednesday when he was clipped by the high-stick of T.J. Oshie. Regehr has been paired with Drew Doughty and the duo have been terrific in the playoffs.

Kings coach Darryl Sutter is pleased with the play of forward Dustin Penner thus far in the postseason.
"He matched his season," Sutter said. "He matched his regular season." Penner is notorious for his varying effort levels, but it's clear the Kings trust him once the playoffs roll around. If you selected him in your playoff pool you should feel confident that he'll be a regular in the Kings lineup.

Drew Doughty scored his first goal of the playoffs 12:37 into the first period of Friday night's eventual series-clinching 2-1 Kings win.
Doughty beat Brian Elliott with a mid-range snap shot after faking a slapper from the point. Although he played four minutes less than the 29:35 average he entered Friday with, Doughty's 25:02 still led the Kings in ice time. If the Kings are going to repeat this year, they'll need Doughty to be one of the best players on the ice on a night by night basis.

Dustin Penner's goal with less than a second left in the second period stood up as the game winner Friday night.
Penner let loose a wicked slap shot from just inside the blue line as the second period was expiring. The shot seemed to catch Blues goalie Brian Elliott off guard, with Elliott sitting back in the crease instead of challenging the shot. Penner's goal felt like just another piece of bad luck for the Blues, who gave everything they had in the series but were eliminated by L.A. for the second straight season.

Jonathan Quick saved 21 of 22 shots as the Los Angeles Kings eliminated the St. Louis Blues with a 2-1 victory Friday night.
There's only one word for Quick's performance this series: fantastic. The defending Conn Smythe winner was strong in net yet again Friday night. The only goal Quick allowed was a deflected point shot that went off the leg of Chris Porter. After allowing a couple bad goals in Games 1 and 2, Quick has been as good as he was last year, which is a scary thought for the rest of the Western Conference.

Kyle Clifford didn't skate Friday morning and coach Darryl Sutter joked around with the media before calling it a "maintenance day, day of the game."
It's expected that he'll be fine to play alongside Colin Fraser and Tyler Toffoli during Game 6 Friday night. If he can't play then Jordan Nolan, who took the line rushes in his place, or Colin Fraser may dress instead.

Drew Doughty logged a career-high 33:37 minutes in the Kings' 3-2 overtime win on Wednesday.
Doughty ranks second in the NHL with an average of 29:35 minutes per contest in the playoffs. He has two assists, 16 hits, and seven blocked shots in five postseason games.

Mike Richards registered two assists on Wednesday.
Richards has five assists in five games in the first round. When the Kings won it all last year, he had four goals and 15 points in 20 postseason contests.

Slava Voynov scored the game-winner in overtime on Wednesday.
Voynov had all of six goals in 48 games during the regular season. He has two goals in five playoff contests in 2013 and they've both been game-winners. The blueliner also has 13 hits and a plus-five rating in the Kings' series against St. Louis.

Jeff Carter has heated up again.
Carter has three goals in his last two games. During the regular season, Carter enjoyed some pretty incredible goal scoring streaks. If he's hot again now, that could sink the St. Louis Blues, who are already down 3-2 in this series.

After two tough losses to begin the series, Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings are really heating up against the St. Louis Blues.
Quick stopped 34 out of 36 shots to help Los Angeles secure a 3-2 OT win and 3-2 series lead on Wednesday. Quick and the Kings have now won three games in a row, even if the Blues have given them an intense fight in the process.

Jeff Carter and Slava Voynov were among the biggest heroes for the Los Angeles Kings in a 3-2 OT win against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, earning a 3-2 series lead.
Carter scored two goals while Voynov collected his second game-winner of the series to give the Kings a very tight win. Both players have only produce tallies this season: three for Carter, two for Voynov.

Tyler Toffoli is making his playoff debut for the Kings on Wednesday night.
In 10 NHL games this year, Toffoli had five points. The 21-year-old forward also notched 28 goals and 23 assists in 58 AHL games. Keaton Ellerby is the scratch for the Kings, who had been playing with seven defensemen in the series with the Blues.

Kings coach Darryl Sutter wants to lean on Alec Martinez more.
"So he's given us 12 minutes. Is 12 minutes enough? No. We need a little more in both ways - quality and quantity," Sutter said. "Whether we like it or not, we are not a veteran defense. Marty.played a grand total of maybe a hundred games or whatever in the NHL. I don't even know. But he's got to play like one of our veterans. It can't be just Robyn and Drew and Slava and Robbie playing like veterans. You need everybody to." Martinez has played in 142 regular season games. Look for him to get more minutes Wednesday night.

Jean-Francois Berube has been called up by Los Angeles.
Berube will try to learn what he can during the Kings' playoff run, but he won't participate in it. He had a 2.24 GAA and .910 save percentage in 24 ECHL contests in 2012-13.

Martin Jones has been summoned by the Los Angeles Kings.
Jones isn't expected to get any playing time in the postseason, but this will be a learning experience for him. Jonathan Bernier is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer and the Kings might trade him rather than re-sign him because Jonathan Quick is already inked to a 10-year deal. If that happens, Jones might end up as the team's backup in 2013-14. He had a 2.53 GAA and .919 save percentage in 56 AHL games this season.

Dustin Brown said Monday's comeback win in Game 4 reminded him of the team's Stanley Cup run last summer.
"I think there was a lot of things reminiscent of last year," Brown said. "Part of it was our will. We didn't give up. We were down 2-0 early. Down 3-2 going into the third. You have (Jonathan) Quick making big saves. Our best players were being our best players." The Kings have looked outmatched against the Blues more than once during this series, but it's hard to disagree with Brown after watching Game 4. Last year's Kings never seemed out of a game, no matter how many goals they trailed by. We'll see if the momentum carries over to Game 5.

Justin Williams said he was "certain" his game-winning deflection was a good goal.
Williams deflected a Mike Richards shot a little over eight minutes into the third period, but the goal was reviewed by Toronto to make sure it wasn't deflected above the crossbar. "I was in front of the net," Williams said. "I felt it was much below my shoulders. At the same time, it was called a goal on the ice and at that point it's really hard to overturn something. So, I was certain it was good, yeah."

Anze Kopitar's first goal since March 25 tied Monday's Game 4 at 3 only 1:16 before Justin Williams deflected in the game winner.
Kopitar's had a rough postseason so far, registering just one assist prior to Monday's goal and struggling greatly in the faceoff circle. If he can get back to being the offensive force the Kings are used to, L.A. will be a very tough out.