Dustpan Brown

Dustin Brown is scratching his head at the poor playoffs he's having

The Kings captain can only sit and wonder why he has been so ineffective for Los Angeles in the Stanley Cup Playoffs so far.

During the shortened regular season Brown scored 18 goals and had 11 assists in 46 games. Good enough to come only four goals shy of the total he scored in 82 games the year before. Brown also was one of the major players in the Kings push and ultimate crowning as Stanley Cup Champions last season carrying LA in many of their games.

But now the prolific attacker has found himself outside of his comfort zone as the go to guy and has spent many crucial moments on the bench for the Kings down the stretch. He has lost playing time to Jeff Carter and Justin Williams, with the later being one of the leading scorers in this years playoffs for Los Angeles. Throw Slava Voyonov into the mix and that makes three Kings have six goals each, (Carter and Williams also have six).

Compare that to the team Browns LA squad are playing right now in the Stanley Cup Western Conference Finals, the Chicago Blackhawks, and you will see those numbers are abysmal. Patrick Sharp and Bryan Bickell each have scored eight goals this postseason and Marian Hossa has tallied seven in their own run for Lord Stanley's Cup.

All three of those frontmen for the Blackhawks have managed to do what Brown has not in the series...score a goal.

Sure, the Kings have managed without Brown so far in the playoffs. Williams and Voyonov have been playing out of their skin over the past month. But that still doesn't mean that LA isn't missing Browns presence.

In fact in the games when Brown has scored it hasn't really mattered. Two of the captain's goals have come in games the Kings lost 2-1 in the playoffs with the other coming as the second score in a 4-3 victory.

With Marian Hossa coming up big with a goal overtime for the Blackhawks to take the victory last night what I am left wondering is one thing: Where in the hell is Dustin Brown?

Last season he was the one making those goals, not Hossa, and that is why Los Angeles hosted it's first ever Stanley Cup. Brown was like a greek god on the ice this time last year and continued to be one in the regular season, so why can't he be one now for the Kings? Where has his form gone?

It's not the defensive pressure. Anze Kopitar, Carter and Williams are more than enough of a presence as well to allow him to do what he does best, send a slap shot at the goalie and beat him to the corner to watch the red light dance and the buzzer incite a frenzy in the stands.

The Kings miss you Captain Brown. I miss you. You made hockey fun last year and after the muck and the mier of a lockout and a shortened season I was looking forward to the show you perform oh so well when it all really matters. I honestly hope you have something left in your bag of tricks because before game five on Monday in Chicago, your Kings are going to need it.

Blackhawks Prove They Don't Have to be in Chi-town to get the W

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBHD5KGTJJ4

Please follow the link to see Marian Hossa score the go-ahead goal for the Blackhawks in game four in Los Angeles. I didn't have the heart to post it and have it stream consistently up on this blog.

The Kings lost a heart-wrencher and have also lost the only chance at not going to a game seven that they had. Now the LA will have to win out to take the series. Which isn't looking good for the team who can't stop the 'Hawks from scoring and also can't seem to penetrate Corey Crawford's net on the other end of the ice.

Bryan Bickell didn't score in game one, but he has scored a goal a game since, bringing his playoff total to eight and causing havoc for the Kings. He has sadly been the aforementioned difference maker in this series so far. Though, every Chicago fan will admit Hossa and Patrick Sharp have been dominating and deserve plaudits as well.

Williams for King

JUSTIN WILLIAMS!!!!!

The Kings got a win in the series thanks to the above goal thanks to the stick of Justin Williams in game three. Los Angeles still has a chance to get back into the series now, even after the Blackhawks took such a commanding lead while at home in Chicago. 

The Kings will look to take on the Blackhawks on Thursday night to even the series. Meanwhile the Blackhawks are looking to take out the Kings by winning game four and then finishing out the series in Chicago later in the week. 

Last Add: This goal was goal no. 6 for Justin Williams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with four of them coming in the last four games. 

Kings Lose Game Two: 4-1

Jeff Cater scored the first goal of the game for the Kings and a second one from Tyler Toffoli wasn't enough to come back in game two.

The Blackhawks Corey Crawford hasn't been perfect in goal, but he has held the Kings attack at bay and given Chicago the ability to pound his counterpart, Jonathan Quick, with so many shots a few a bound to go in. So while in the case of game two it was more than a few with four goals coming before the Kings could get on the board, it wasn't the type of game the 'Hawks can expect from Quick when the series travels to LA where Quick has been near perfect.

Game three is on Tuesday at the Staples Center.

Justin Williams: Le Roi de LA

Justin Williams makes Corey Crawford into a fool by scoring on him in game one. Too bad it wasn't enough to stop the Blackhawks from taking game one with a score of 2-1.

The Blackhawks were expected to take game one with the Kings coming off of back-to-back seven-game series thus having tired skates going into the series with Chicago.

Marian Hossa and Casey Kane will be the main guys for the Blackhawks with Bryan Bickell looking to continue his good form. Bickell has scored five goals in the playoffs so far and will be the difference maker if he can score on top of the threat Chicago already poses.

And Away They Go

The Stanley Cup Champions last year were the LA Kings

The Los Angeles Kings have begun their playoffs in tumultuous fashion. Taking both of their previous playoff series to 7 games agains the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks, respectively.

Now going on to face the Chicago Blackhawks the Kings will have the biggest test of their season with Casey Kane, Patrick Sharp and Corey Crawford, oh my!

With a Jonathan Quick in between the posts the Kings have a chance at stopping one of the more high-powered offense with Kane and Sharp leading the tribe at the LA defense.

The Kings will need their captain, Dustin Brown, to step it up in this series. He has only scored once this entire postseason after leading the way for the Kings last year in their Stanley Cup championship run.

So far it has been all about Justin Williams and his crucial goals against the Blues and the Sharks. The winger has 7 goals now in the playoffs and has 4 in the last 5 games.

The Kings will have to go up to Chicago and visit the Blackhawks at the United Center before coming back to LA for game three. The Kings have only won one road game this postseason back against the Blues on May 10.

For the Blackhawks, they will rely on the attacking prowess of Sharp and Marian Hossa and the amazing playoff goal run that Bryan Bickell is on to trump any hand the Kings deal them.