Kings’ Fate Set Before Playoffs

DENVER —  It’s a shame that the Kings’ season came to an end so soon because this season’s team is better and deeper than the squad that reached the second round of the playoffs a year ago.

The Kings have no one to blame but themselves for being bounced in the first round by Colorado and goaltender Patrick Roy. Not because they were a better team than the Avalanche but because the Kings shouldn’t have had to face the defending Stanley Cup champions this early in the postseason.

“I don’t think this matchup was anything like a No. 2 seed vs. a No. 7 seed,” Colorado’s Mike Keane said. “The Kings are a very solid team that is well coached. They gave us everything we could handle.”

Flash back to April 10. With three games remaining in the regular season, the Kings were fifth in the Western Conference when they hit the road for crucial games at Vancouver and San Jose before closing the season at home against Anaheim.

If the Kings had won all three games, they would have assured themselves not only of a higher playoff position but also an outside chance of winning the Pacific Division.

But instead of playing with the type of passion they displayed in a tough seven-game series against the Avalanche, the Kings fell flat on their faces. They lost to the Canucks and Sharks before defeating the Mighty Ducks to finish the season with 95 points.

One more point would have meant a first-round matchup with St. Louis instead of Colorado.

“We worked hard this season, but it’s still over,” King defenseman Jaroslav Modry said. “Unfortunately, we came up short again. The second year in a row and it’s frustrating. Early exit once again.”

Looking at the glass half full, the Kings made great strides this season under Coach Andy Murray and his staff. General Manager Dave Taylor picked up a quality center in Jason Allison, who should continue to be a force. Ziggy Palffy and Adam Deadmarsh both stepped up their all-around games. Role players such as Mikko Eloranta and Philippe Boucher seemed to get better with every game, and Felix Potvin proved again that he’s a playoff goalie, thanks to strong support from Murray.

Yet, the Kings will be watching the rest of the playoffs from home.

Time Is Right for Weekes

The most unlikely hero of the first round has to be Carolina goaltender Kevin Weekes, who was picked up from Tampa Bay in a late-season trade to back up Arturs Irbe but ended up being the savior for the Hurricanes against New Jersey.

After Irbe fell apart in Games 3 and 4, Weekes stepped in and dominated the Devils to help Carolina advance to the second round for the first time since the franchise moved to North Carolina in 1997.

Weekes, who had only two regular-season starts after being acquired by Carolina on March 5, made his first playoff start in Game 5 and made 32 saves to shut out the Devils, 1-0. Then he followed that effort with a 40-save performance in the Hurricanes’ series-clinching victory in Game 6.

“Life isn’t too bad right now,” said Weekes after he recorded the franchise’s first shutout since 1986 when the Hurricanes were the Hartford Whalers.

Despite Weekes’ recent play, Carolina Coach Paul Maurice recently said that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Irbe back in goal before the Hurricanes’ second-round series against Montreal is completed.

“I still have a lot of confidence in both our goaltenders,” Maurice told the Raleigh News Observer. “Archie played phenomenal in the first two games, but Kevin gets the first chance right now.”

Line Shifts

Now that New Jersey center Bobby Holik plans to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 rather than work out a new deal with the Devils, the Mighty Ducks should make him a top priority. Holik, 31, certainly increased his value with a team-high four goals against Carolina in the first round. Holik, who has scored at least 20 goals in five of the last six seasons playing primarily against the opposing team’s top center, would definitely help the Ducks’ weak power play. Holik also wouldn’t look bad in a Kings’ uniform.

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Around Philadelphia, most of the blame for the Flyers’ first-round playoff collapse to Ottawa has fallen on the shoulders of Coach Bill Barber. Many of Barber’s players criticized him for not making adjustments to keep the Flyers sharp down the stretch. But the person who should be feeling the heat is General Manager Bobby Clarke, who has somehow avoided blame despite having a payroll of $55.5 million and a roster at the season’s start that included seven players who have been All-Stars and three former 50-goal scorers.

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The NHL playoffs have a long history of violence, but this year’s first round seemed to have a little more than usual. Check out the list of players that have or will miss postseason games because of injuries. They include Toronto’s Mats Sundin, the New York Islanders’ Michael Peca and Kenny Johnsson, Montreal’s Richard Zednik, the Kings’ Deadmarsh and Colorado’s Forsberg.

“We’ve all seen a different trend in this business, and it’s to expand the physical margins,” Toronto Coach Pat Quinn said. “I don’t know the reasons why. But standards aren’t there right now.”

The NHL can’t afford to allow this to continue, but unless Commissioner Gary Bettman does something soon, expect more of the same.

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Although Carolina raised ticket prices 20% for the second round, Hurricanes fans turned out, buying more than 11,000 tickets over the weekend. It proves that the NHL can work in a Southern city as long as the team wins.

Quote of the Week

“It all comes back to respect. That’s pretty disappointing to see that happen. But you can’t judge all Americans on a few people that have no class. Most people are pretty respectful and are good people.”

Toronto’s Shayne Corson about New York Islander fans who booed the Canadian national anthem before Game 6 and later burned a Canadian flag in the parking lot of the Nassau Coliseum on Sunday. Corson will not play in tonight’s Game 7 because of a league suspension “for kicking” in Game 6.