Kings again skating through regular season in hopes of postseason success

Kings defenseman Matt Greene is a noted classic rock music fan. So when asked to describe the Kings as a “Hall and Oates” song, Greene simply couldn’t quite figure out this particular group of hockey royalty.

“Oh man… that’s the best question I’ve ever gotten … So many to choose from … not off the top of my head,” he pondered scratching his chin. “This is a question you don’t just throw away and answer. I can’t answer that whole-heartedly.”

Maybe it was just Greene’s love of the world’s largest selling rock duo that he couldn’t quite get the answer right. Or maybe it’s just the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the Kings and how they operate under coach Darryl Sutter.

Note that the Kings always seem to be a strong pick to win the Stanley Cup every year? But winning the Pacific Division? Yeah, don’t look toward them for regular season success. Los Angeles is currently fourth in the Pacific this year and have one road win.

The year they won their first Stanley Cup (in 2012) they had 95 points, but a late-season push thrust them into the postseason as an eighth seed. In 2013, the fifth-seeded Kings made the Western Conference Final against the Chicago Blackhawks. Last year, the Kings had 16 fewer points than division winning Anaheim – a team they vanquished in the postseason.

Does this make any sense? How do they do it? We went to ‘Mr. Game 7’ himself, Justin Williams to ask.

“I think we have guys in this team who are able to get to another level,” Williams said. “It comes with adversity and it comes with us or them. You’re playing against them, and I feel every guy on our team can give that, or find that little extra that’s needed come playoff time.”

The simple answer is they pretty much have the post-double lockout formula worked out. Since the 2004-05 lockout, only one Presidents’ Trophy winner – the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks – have won the Stanley Cup.

“You have to make sure you get there,” Greene said. “Every advantage you can give yourself – whether it’s home ice – helps. You have to make sure you’re ready when you get there.”

But this is a team that in its two Cup runs, only had ‘home ice’ once. Last year’s Stanley Cup Final. All other years, it was the road team in every series.

And it’s so weird, when you look at the Kings roster. There’s just a treasure trove of talent, depth and size at every position. From forward with Jeff Carter, ‘The Slovenian Sensation’ Anze Kopitar and captain Dustin Brown, to defensemen Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin and even in goal with Jonathan Quick.

The Kings have a feel of a team that can and should dominate every game. But they don’t – at least until April.

Coach Darryl Sutter has a theory in his typical Darryl Sutter-like way of going about it.

Shorter practices? Pacing yourself? Nah, the one they call the ‘Jolly Rancher’ doesn’t quite have it down that much to a science.

“If you get in (the playoffs) you have a chance to win,” he said. “That’s the way the league is. There’s no difference in the teams. An injury, a call, a mistake is the difference between teams.”

So is there any reason for Kings fans – or the Kings for that matter – to even worry at this stage of the season? The answer is no way … just wait til April. But wow, is it a lot of time until then.

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY