REAL PRESSURE
For Kings' youngsters, first Game 7 experience awaits tonight
LOS ANGELES >> There's an adage in sports, at just about every level, that whatever level of experience a player has at the beginning of a season, he'll be that much older, wiser and more able to handle situations by the end.
There is one exception. It is the postseason, and in hockey it's not something you can simulate or explain.
The youngsters who will be the future of the Kings have been through a good amount this season. Some have been here the entire season, some even multiple seasons, while others have been called up along the way. They've learned, they've grown and they've developed resiliency, as shown Thursday night when they rebounded from a two-goal deficit and put the Edmonton Oilers on their heels for a while.
But they couldn't finish. So tonight in Edmonton they will play a Game 7, following Thursday night's 4-2 home loss. It will likely be an experience unlike anything the youngsters have had, be it in juniors or college or the AHL. Win or go home, in a hostile environment, and while they're playing with house money and they've been a good road team all season, this is different.
“I think there's logic” to the idea of growth over the course of a season, Kings coach Todd McLellan said Thursday night. “But there's also experience under duress that some of them haven't experienced.”
The veterans who have played in those moments — Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown,
Game 7, Kings at Oilers, 7p.m., ESPN, BSSC (Best-of-7series tied 3-3)
Today:
GM Verbeek envisions a faster, stronger team.
Ducks: