Beating Blues’ penalty kill `a big challenge’

What a strange postseason this has been for the Kings already, in terms of special teams. Through six games, the Kings are plus-3 on special teams. They have scored three power-play goals and allowed three, and have scored three shorthanded goals. So, is the glass half-empty or half-full. Penalty-kill success is nothing new for the Kings, but it’s also nothing to sneeze at. St. Louis’ power play was excellent in the first-round series against San Jose, and keeping the Blues’ power play off the board will continue to be a significant challenge for the Kings. On the other side, the Kings need to get their power play going. In the first two games against Vancouver, the Kings were 3-for-12 on the power play. In the last three games against the Canucks, and in Game 1 against the Blues, the Kings are now a combined 0-for-19 in their last five games.

Last night, the Kings went 0-for-5. They actually looked OK doing it, as they had eight shots on goal and quite a bit of offensive-zone possession time, but in a tight, low-scoring series, the Kings can’t afford to throw away prime scoring chances. Darryl Sutter talked about the Kings’ power plays in Game 1…

SUTTER: “The power play was awesome in the first period last night. I really don’t take much from the power plays in the third period, other than that we drew them. That’s a big part of it, too, in the playoffs, is drawing penalties. That’s up to you guys to criticize. We’ll work on it, and continue to work on it. In the first-period power play, we spent the whole time in their zone. That’s pretty good. That’s what you’re trying to do. They have good penalty killers and awesome penalty-killing defensemen, in terms of blocking shots and taking away pucks. It’s a big challenge.’’