Kyle Clifford

There was precise timing, a fierce sense of urgency and a near-complete understanding between teammates. Yes, it was all there, via a montage of playoff highlights, on display on the scoreboard, not on the ice for three periods at Staples Center with Chicago beating the Kings, 5-2. Granted, the Kings of Saturday were never going to be able to compete with the Stanley Cup champion Kings of June. That would be wildly unfair with more than seven months between the games. Rust turned out to be a bigger enemy than the pregame hoopla for the Kings on a season-opening afternoon when they took a curtain call with the raising of their Stanley Cup banner and distribution of shiny champion rings from Tiffany & Co. The banner had barely settled into position in the rafters before the goals unfurled.

Blackhawks 5, Kings 2 (final) Were the Kings' heads still up in the rafters with their crisp, new Stanley Cup banner Saturday afternoon when the puck dropped at Staples Center for their title defense? The elements were there for a rousing start to a repeat attempt. Players got their diamond-encrusted rings and helped launch the banner skyward in a touching ceremony that included the banner being delivered by 8-year-old Isaiah Marquez-Greene, brother of Sandy Hook shooting victim Ana Marquez-Greene.

Once, Kings defensemen Matt Greene and Rob Scuderi and Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller were just like the young hockey players they skated with Thursday night in El Segundo. Well, maybe not Greene. “These guys are good. A lot better than we were,” Greene said while the Junior Kings peewee double-A2 team went through drills. “I don't know about Millsie. He was pretty good when he was younger.” Miller, who is married to actress Noureen DeWulf and spends his summers in California, and the two Kings made good use of their time during the lockout by going on the ice for about an hour to offer advice and hockey tips to kids on each of the three rinks.

The longest night dragged on and on at the NHL's entry draft in Pittsburgh. Then again, a few more hours hardly mattered for left wing Tanner Pearson. The 19-year-old could have been drafted twice before but was not selected. Finally, in his third year of draft eligibility, the Stanley Cup champion Kings took Pearson with the last pick (No. 30) in the first round on Friday night. His immediate family was on hand for the big moment. "If I was a betting man, I'd probably say tears were shed by my dad more than my mom," he said in a telephone interview Friday night.

Winger Kyle Clifford, out of the Kings' lineup since he suffered a concussion in the opener of their first-round NHL playoff series against Vancouver, is available to play in Game 3 of the Kings' second-round series against St. Louis on Thursday at Staples Center. However, Coach Darryl Sutter would not say if the rugged winger will play or even if Clifford will participate in warm-ups. “He's available. He's fully cleared to practice,” Sutter said. “If you get here for warm-ups then you're going to find out.” Clifford was driven into the boards on April 11 by Vancouver's Byron Bitz, who was suspended two games by the NHL.  It's unlikely Sutter will change the lineup for Thursday's game, given that the Kings have a 2-0 series lead and given the strong performance so far of fourth-liners Brad Richardson, Colin Fraser and Jordan Nolan.

Departing from their routine, the Kings planned to stay at a downtown hotel Wednesday night and conduct their morning skate at Staples Center before Game 3 of their playoff series against the St. Louis Blues. Goaltender Jonathan Quick saw a big benefit beyond making players feel as if they're on the road, where they're 5-0 in postseason play. "I think it's more like we want our rink to feel like it's our rink," he said Wednesday. "We've never practiced there. Four years I've been here, we've never practiced there.

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — Russian-born defenseman Slava Voynov is shy about being interviewed because he's not comfortable speaking English. What he does on the ice transcends any language barrier. Voynov's speed and ability to move the puck quickly have had a noticeable impact on the Kings since he was recalled from the American Hockey League on Feb. 24. In three stints over 54 games, he had eight goals and 20 points and a +12 defensive rating, tying for the league lead in goals and plus/minus rating among rookie defensemen.

Kings Coach Darryl Sutter spent part of his post-practice media session on Tuesday talking about schedules, traveling and playoff logistics, spelling out the disadvantage for his team. "That's all part of not being a home-ice team," he said. The Kings-Blues series will start in St. Louis … eventually. Sutter simply wants to know. And, as he said, then they can get in a "prairie schooner," and head over to St. Louis. The Western Conference semifinals meets "Little House on the Prairie.

  Kings  Coach Darryl Sutter spent part of his post-practice media session on Tuesday talking about schedules, traveling and playoff logistics, spelling out the disadvantage for his team. “That's all part of not being a home-ice team,” he said. The Kings-Blues series will start in St. Louis … eventually. Later, in Los Angeles, there could be six playoff games at Staples Center, from April 28 to May 4, if the Clippers secure home-court advantage.

Vancouver Canucks star Daniel Sedin was back in the building ... and back on the ice. As for Game 4 against the Kings? His readiness will likely come down to a game-time decision Wednesday. The forward, who has been out since March 21 because of a concussion, rejoined his teammates at practice in El Segundo on Tuesday afternoon. It was the first time in eight days he has taken part in a full practice.  “It felt great. It's been a tough four weeks," said Sedin, who flew to Los Angeles from Vancouver on Monday.