The Morning Skate: 6/05/13

Los Angeles, CA, Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

It is a good morning to wake up as an LA Kings fan. Last night should have been a big boost of confidence for the defending Stanley Cup Champions. They produced a much needed win on home ice (as they always do), and are now only down 2-1 in the series against Chicago.

The Kings got on the scoreboard early as Justin Williams wristed one past Corey Crawford for his 6th goal of the playoffs. Williams is one of those veteran role payers who always steps it up in the playoffs, and he is doing just that for the Kings this postseason.

Slava Voynov added a goal in the second period, which would later turn out to be the game winning goal for the Kings. Bryan Bickell put the Hawks within one just before the second period came to an end, but they couldn’t turn it into any momentum in the third. The Kings solidified the game with an empty netter by Dwight King, making it a 3-1 victory.

Jonathan Quick and the rest of the Kings redeemed themselves after their two losses at the United Center in Chicago. Quick particularly recovered well in game three after having to be pulled from game two. To read more about the the Kings victory here is a post game recap from NHL.com.

Now the question for today is: Can the Penguins reinstate their previous play and start a comeback in their series against the Bruins. I hope Dan Bylsma has a new plan for the Pens, because the way his team has been playing has been embarrassing to say the least. The Bruins will have the TD Garden crowd 110% behind them tonight, and the Pens will have to silence them asap.

Jun 3, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) at the face-off circle against the Boston Bruins during the third period in game two of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Boston Bruins won 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Game three is tonight at 8:00 PM on the NBC Sports Network. Here are a couple of articles to check out before the game: “Penguins feel they can come back against Bruins” from NHL.com, “Bruins’ top line outshining star-studded Penguins” from NHL.com.

Charging Through The Headlines:

  • The Competition Committee came to an agreement yesterday on visors, Fansided breaks it down for you.
  • The Dallas Stars revealed their new jerseys and logo, they will also retire a former stars number. Check out ProHockeyTalk for more info.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes also introduced their new jerseys, Bleacher Report posted an article which includes pictures of Eric Staal modeling the new jersey.
  • The teams with coaching vacancies are not rushing through the process, including Dallas. Here is more on the Stars hunt for a new coach from NHL.com.