The Key Three: June 9

Is this Stanley Cup Finals series finding level water? It’s fairly clear that the Kings were the better team in Game 3. As for Games 1, 2, 4 and 5, the margin has been razor-thin. That was easy for some to ignore in the euphoria of the Kings’ 3-0 series lead, but the fact is that the New Jersey Devils easily could have won Games 1 and 2 and the Kings easily could have won Games 4 and 5, or any mix-and-match combination therein. It’s a 3-2 series, and that’s probably what it should be. The problem for the Kings is that the theme has shifted. Four days ago, the questions were, “Can you sweep?’’ Now, the questions will be, “Are you still confident?’’

The Kings’ challenge, going forward, will be to maintain a winning attitude. They played fine in Game 5. New Jersey scored one goal because of a goalie gaffe and another goal due to an inadvertent bounce off a Kings player. The first 10 minutes of the first period arguably marked the Kings’ best stretch of play in this postseason. Problem is, they played a strong game and lost, and now they must play again in less than 48 hours, against a Devils team with a growing sense of belief. It will be up to the coaches and leadership group — hello, Dustin Brown — to try to keep the players in the proper mindset, and it will be up to the players to finish the job on the ice. What was the key aspect of the Kings’ 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils in Game 5? I present three options at the link below, and you can vote for your choice…

The Key Three: June 9

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For those who enjoy the traditional game recap, it can be found by clicking here.

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