King Play

"King," the troubled and controversial $4 million musical based on the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., has closed less than two months after opening here at a West End theater. The musical, from which two successive writers and two directors departed before its opening, aroused the anger of one of its lyricists--the writer, poet and black history professor Maya Angelou, who disassociated herself from the show because of the way King was portrayed.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Greetings from hockey country, and just to make the Kings feel more comfortable, the area was nicely blanketed with about four to five inches of snow overnight. Bring on May. And the playoffs, of course. The Kings have three games remaining, including Tuesday night's contest against the Minnesota Wild, and the sight of the regular-season finish line has its benefits. “It's been a grind,” Kings captain Dustin Brown said after Tuesday's morning skate.

Kings and Ducks tonight When: 6. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: FS West, Radio: 830, 1150. Records: Kings 20-12-1, Ducks 18-16-4. Season series: Ducks lead, 1-0. Update: The Kings return from the Christmas break to play four games in five days. They are 6-2-1 against the Ducks since Jan. 8, 2009, and are 4-0-2 in their last six home games against the Ducks since Oct. 14, 2008. With a 12-2-1 home record, the Kings matched the franchise-best home record after 15 games.

The Zach Parise derby may have turned into a two-day decathlon, but the Kings were realistic about their chances with the New Jersey Devils free-agent star forward, calling the odds of signing him "way too long. " An official with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to comment said Sunday that the team had learned from the pursuit of Brad Richards last summer - he landed with the New York Rangers - and was focusing elsewhere. That focus could end up on Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan, who has two big fans in Kings Coach Darryl Sutter and Kings President and General Manager Dean Lombardi.

Time: 4:30 PST. On the air: Radio: 1150. Where: Scotiabank Place. AT OTTAWA Records: Kings 20-21-7, Senators 17-24-7. Record vs. Senators (2007-08): 1-0-0. Update: The Kings haven't won in Ottawa since Nov. 11, 2002, playing there only once in that span because of the NHL's unbalanced schedule. Forward Oscar Moller (fractured clavicle) participated in his first practice with contact since his injury, but it's not clear when he will return.

Surrounded by happy teammates, autograph-seeking admirers and the media in the Kings' dressing room Monday afternoon, Luc Robitaille could only shake his head in wonder. "Two months ago," he said, "we were bums." Two months ago? How about two weeks ago? The team was still worried about making the playoffs at that point, the coach was worried about losing his job and Wayne Gretzky was worried enough about his own game to hint at early retirement. Ancient history.

The Kings play their first road game of the season tonight against the Vancouver Canucks (2-2-1) at 7:30 p.m. (KLAC). The Kings won their first game after three losses, beating the New York Rangers, 4-3, Wednesday night. The Canucks defeated the Kings, 6-5, last week in their season opener at the Forum and have a two-game unbeaten streak that includes a win over the New York Islanders.

Free-agent center Bob Mongrain will make his debut for the Kings tonight when they try to snap a four-game losing streak against the Edmonton Oilers. Mongrain, signed by the Kings last week, has played this season in Switzerland. Before that he played 70 games over the last five seasons for the Buffalo Sabres.

— Kings' General Manager Dean Lombardi has gone 36 years since winning his first, and last, Cup. Lombardi, then a student at Ludlow (Mass.) High School, was a member of the Springfield team that won the New England Junior Hockey League to take home the Wallace Cup. So Lombardi is Cup savvy as his team heads into Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. "The Wallace Cup? Good memory," Lombardi said. "Not the same as this. " Lombardi chuckled and calculated the angle at the same time, often his modus operandi.

Two Pacific division teams with bleak playoff histories will meet for the Western Conference championship. The Kings, who earned their berth in the final four on Sunday with a sweep of the St. Louis Blues, will face the Phoenix Coyotes, who finished off a five-game elimination of the Nashville Predators on Monday with a 2-1 victory at Glendale, Ariz. The Coyotes, who ended a 25-year, two-city playoff drought when they ousted the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, advanced Monday on the strength of a 32-save performance by goaltender Mike Smith.

When: 7:30. Where: HP Pavilion. On the air: TV: Channel 13; Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 40-27-14, Sharks 42-29-10 Record vs. Sharks: 2-1-2. Update: The Kings clinched a playoff spot not long before they took the ice Thursday and that knowledge ended up taking the edge off all those weeks of desperation. "It was a little bit of a deflater," Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi. "Because you had that attitude that you are on edge, you are on edge the whole time and then the score comes in and, maybe subconsciously, you take your foot off the gas a little bit. I can only speak for myself.

The Alberta high couldn't even last 24 hours for the Kings. Forward Jeff Carter , acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets shortly before the league's trade deadline, injured his ankle late in Wednesday's resounding 3-0 win against the Flames at Calgary. From what Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi was saying, it sounded as though Carter would not be able to play Friday at Edmonton. Still the team is calling the injury day to day. "It happened late, but he was able to finish the game," a glum-sounding Lombardi said on Thursday afternoon in a telephone interview.

Finally, the Kings have become the team they were designed to be: hard-hitting but not reckless, skillful but capable of mucking and grinding when need be — and a division leader with the potential for a long playoff run. Goaltender Jonathan Quick came up big for them Thursday in a 1-0 shootout victory over the league-leading St. Louis Blues, but he has done that all season. What's different now is he gets support every game, maybe not in the form of goals Thursday at Staples Center but in blocked shots and solid defensive play and clutch performances throughout the lineup.

KINGS TONIGHT At COLORADO When: 6 PST. Where: Pepsi Center. On the air: TV: NBC Sports Network; Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 27-21-12, Avalanche 29-27-4. Record vs. Avalanche: 0-2-1. Update: This will complete a back-to-back sequence for the Kings, who are 3-3-4 in the second game of previous back-to-back sequences. With a goal and an assist Tuesday in a 5-4 shootout loss at Phoenix, Dustin Brown had his first multi-point game since Jan. 14. The Avalanche on Tuesday added depth up front by acquiring gritty Steve Downie from Tampa Bay for defenseman Kyle Quincey, who was traded on to Detroit.

When: 7:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: FS West, Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 20-15-7; Capitals 21-16-2. Update: Dustin Penner's back didn't lock up when he was skating or lifting heavy objects. It happened when he leaned forward to eat pancakes and he ended up missing Saturday's game. "I couldn't stand erect," Penner said Sunday morning after doing a bit more in practice. "I was like probably the third stage of evolution. My wife helped me get dressed and then I drove to the rink [in El Segundo]