Puck

  The NHL, unable to figure out the schedule for the conference finals beyond the first two games in the West or the East, got organized enough on Thursday to conduct a conference call that featured West coaches Darryl Sutter of the Kings and Dave Tippett of the Phoenix Coyotes and their respective captains, Dustin Brown and Shane Doan, taking questions from reporters. The Kings have been idle since Sunday, when they completed a sweep of the St. Louis Blues.

Heroes for more than one day … There are the often impenetrable Jonathan Quick of the Kings in goal and Kings captain Dustin Brown and his Blues counterpart David Backes with their ferocious physical give and take. ("Cripes," said St. Louis Coach Ken Hitchcock of their bone-rattling second-period collision in Game 3.) But Hitchcock pointed to Kings defenseman Drew Doughty as the best player in this series. The Kings lead the Blues, 3-0, in the Western Conference semifinals and Game 4 is noon Sunday at Staples Center.

ST. LOUIS -- Greetings from St. Louis, where it's overcast and in the 50s…. In other words, spring in the Midwest. Inside Scottrade Center, the Kings on Friday had their last full practice before they open their second-round series against the Blues on Saturday. The mood was businesslike and purposeful, but forward Brad Richardson's sprawling, unprovoked tumble at the blue line early in the session did provide some comic relief. "I didn't think anybody saw that," said Richardson, whose only injury was to his dignity.

Daniel Sedin's return to the Vancouver Canucks had a doubly detrimental effect for the Kings, denying them a first-round playoff sweep and creating a new threat they must defuse when the series resumes Sunday in Vancouver. The gifted winger's first appearance since suffering a concussion on March 21 boosted the Canucks' spirits and talent level. He especially raised the game of his linemate and twin, Henrik, as they combined to score with a man advantage and seal Vancouver's 3-1 victory Wednesday at Staples Center.

Nicklas Backstrom scored 2:56 into the second overtime Saturday to give the visiting Washington Capitals a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins and tie the first-round playoff series at a game apiece. Braden Holtby stopped 43 shots for Washington in his second career postseason game. Tim Thomas made 37 saves for the defending Stanley Cup champions. Troy Brouwer opened the scoring for the Capitals in the second period, and Benoit Pouliot tied it with 7:47 left in regulation.

This was not exactly Ryane Clowe, Mr. Stealth. The Kings saw the Sharks forward reach over the bench with his stick to illegally play the puck, disrupting a rush led by Kings center Jarret Stoll with about 2:40 remaining in regulation. They saw it. As did the stunned and angered Kings fans at Staples Center. TV picked up on it immediately One problem: The on-ice officials were in the distinct minority and didn't see it. "I don't know how you miss it," Kings captain Dustin Brown said.

When: 5 p.m. Where: Honda Center. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 830. Record vs. Bruins (2010-11): 1-0. Update: The Ducks said defenseman Nate Guenin might miss the remainder of the season after taking a puck to his forehead. It happened in Wednesday's 4-3 victory over St. Louis. Guenin returned to action later in the game. He has played in 15 games this season, scoring twice, and is a plus-six. Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller has been nominated for the Masterton Trophy by the Anaheim chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Assn.

So this was the Kings' strategy: to torture themselves and their increasingly queasy fans through 60 painfully low-scoring games and then reinvent themselves as a productive team that appears to be peaking at the right time. With the West playoff race grinding along in lock-step, now is the time to get hot. The Kings, newly balanced offensively after the arrival of Jeff Carter and benefiting from the vigor of rookies Slava Voynov, Jordan Nolan and Dwight King, continued their revival Tuesday with a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks at Staples Center.

Potential rule changes being discussed by NHL general managers this week drew mixed reactions from the Kings, who said they needed clarification on the proposed hybrid icing rule before they could make their judgments. Apparently, the general managers need clarification, too. They recommended that the idea be forwarded to the league's competition committee for further discussion but want the language to be more specific and cover all possible scenarios. Kings defenseman Matt Greene said he could see the rationale behind eliminating a full-length race to the goal line between the attacking and defending players--and he spoke from personal knowledge.

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