For one period on Thursday night it looked good for the Phoenix Coyotes. It at least looked like they might have a chance, even briefly playing with their first lead of the Western Conference Final.
And then it was back to business as usual.
The Coyotes once again came out on the losing end against the Los Angeles Kings, this time by a 2-1 margin, and are now just one loss away from having their improbable -- yet exciting -- postseason run come to a close.
The Kings on the other hand are just one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1993. And right now they look unstoppable. This team is simply a juggernaut at this point.
Dwight King kept his magical postseason run going by scoring the game-winning goal early in the third period, while Anze Kopitar added another goal and Jonathan Quick turned aside 18 of the 19 shots he faced.
What the Kings are doing this postseason is improbable for just about any team, no matter where they finished in the regular season standings. What they're doing as a No. 8 seed is almost unthinkable. In the current playoff format only one other eighth seed has ever made the the Stanley Cup Final (the 2005-06 Edmonton Oilers, which ended up losing in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes). The Kings are one win away from becoming the second, and you almost have to think that at this point they're the favorites to win the whole thing.
With Thursday's win the Kings improved to 11-1 this postseason, with their only loss coming in the first round against the Presidents' Troph winning Vancouver Canucks when they were already up 3-0 in the series.
They have all the ingredients right now, and it's not looking like anybody is capable of slowing them down.
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