Kings slain in 6

Well, as I predicted, the Sharks vs Kings series went 6 games. Also, as I predicted, it was a close hard fought series (3 games went into overtime.).  Unfortunately for King's fans, the Sharks, not the Kings won the series 4 games to 2. The Kingdom's hopes
of a Game 7, were dashed when Joe Thornton backhanded a rebound at the side of the net passed goalie Jonathan Quick at 2:22 of overtime. Though the Kings were an overtime goal away from forcing a Game 7, their fate may have been cemented earlier in the series.
  Without a doubt, game 3 was the turning point in the series.  With the series tied 1-1,  after a 4-0 shutout of the Sharks in game 2, the Kings processed a 3-0  lead at the end of the first period, and at one point a 5-3 lead in the second period.  But the Sharks fought back to tie the game  5-5.  The score remained that way  at end of both the second and third periods, forcing "sudden death" overtime  In overtime,
the Kings pressured the Sharks defense early, with the game shifting to a fast "up and down" pace (not good for the Kings) , leaving a lot of room to operate. At 3:09 of overtime,  Devin Setoguchi took a pass in the slot from  Patrick Marleau , beating Jonathan Quick on his glove side for the game winner.  That game was the catalyst for the Kings ultimately losing the series.  Instead of leading 2-1 and building momentum, the "comeback"/win in overtime was followed by the Sharks' the 6-3 win in Game 4. Give the Kings credit, they didn't "fold up shop" in Game 5. Facing elimination, and on the road, a lot of teams in the exact situation have "laid down" and died with very little effort.  But the Kings, brought a composed, steady 3-1 win to Game 5. Forcing Game 6.
Unfortunately, the "Hockey Gods" smiled on the Kings no more this season.
 My hats off to Terry Murray and his staff. Under his guidance, this year has been a big growth year for a young team, with a very positive upside. They gave a valiant effort, and reaped the rewards of hard work. With another year of playoff experience under their belt, the continued growth of Jonathan Quick in goal, and either the acquisition of , or the development of a "big time" scorer, the Kings, as the Isley Brothers said ,  look ready to "take it to the next phase".  Look out everyone, the Kings look like they might ready to play with the big boys.
ready to climb.