Kings to hit road, `get ready to roll’

This morning, the Kings held their final practice in Southern California before the start of the Stanley Cup Finals. It was a lengthy, spirited workout, one that ended with conditioning skating and a round of applause from the large group of fans that sat and watched. Things start to get real for the Kings now. Tomorrow will be a lengthy travel day. Tuesday will be a practice in New Jersey and “media day,’’ and Wednesday will be Game 1. As slow as things have seemed for the players in the last few days, the next few days will go quickly. Dustin Brown and Jonathan Quick talked about about the Kings’ need to manage this time properly, both in terms of the days off and getting ready to go for Game 1…

BROWN: “We’ve experienced this before in these playoffs, having a break. Maybe this one is a little bit longer, and the travel is obviously significantly longer, so it’s just important to get there, get comfortable, get set up and get ready to roll.’’

QUICK: “You get a couple days here, a mental, physical break. It’s our job, our responsibility, to kind of get it right back up there to 100 percent for Wednesday night, and make sure we’re ready to go.’’

The routine is normal, but the stakes and attention are higher. The Kings and New Jersey Devils are the last two teams playing this season, and one will win the Stanley Cup. That said, the players’ focus cannot change. It’s all about preparation and focus. Darryl Sutter was asked today whether he felt he needed to tamp down any extra excitement or distractions, and get his players to treat Game 1 the same way they treated previous playoff games…

SUTTER: “It’s not so much that it’s the Stanley Cup Finals, but it’s the days off, to get going that way again. It’s probably the same thing (the Devils) are doing. They’ve had a couple days off, and they’ve got to ramp it up again. That’s what we’re trying to do, too.’’