June 7, 2012, New Jersey Devils-Los Angeles Kings Game 4 Stanley Cup Final notebook for HockeyPrimeTime.com

Stanley Cup Final Notebook: Kings not changing in the face of history

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Written by Denis Gorman

Thursday, June 07, 2012 00:51

The Kings have been on an extreme roll during the postseason and are on the verge of tying a record set by the Edmonton Oilers. Their party line? Stay the course. The Los Angeles Kings are on the verge of winning the organization’s first Stanley Cup since becoming a NHL member franchise in 1967 and their run has been nothing short of dominant. The Kings have won 15 of 17 playoff games. Should the Kings beat the New Jersey Devils in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night, they will tie the 1987-88 Edmonton Oilers for fewest games needed to win The Cup. So with the chance to author NHL and franchise history, the Kings are simply staying the course. “I think routine is really important for players,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said during his media availability Wednesday morning. “Do the same thing today as we did last game. It's not that we have to change anything, that's for sure. As I said all along, there is a point that it's about the players. The farther you go, the more games you play, so...can pretty much leave it at that. “I think we've done a good job of that right from the start. Most of the kids hadn't been through this at all — the Final, the playoffs, the whole procedure of it, the process. They've done a good job of getting in that swing. At the same time, you want them to enjoy the challenge of it, because for lots of them, as I've said, it's the first time, last time, only time.” *****   Sutter would not disclose if there would be changes to Kings’ lineup. Devils coach Pete DeBoer announced that Henrik Tallinder and Petr Sykora would replace Peter Harrold and Jacob Josefson. “Peter Harrold played great,” DeBoer said of the decision when he met with reporters at Wednesday morning. “[He] gave us some good minutes. The reality is Tallinder was a top-two defenseman for us; was all year. He's been out for a long time. This is the first time in the last four or five days where we felt in practice that he was up to game speed and a legitimate option. We considered it after Game 2, but our group I thought had played such a good game that I didn't want to change it then. But now it seems appropriate.” *****   The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers announced contract extensions for general managers Dale Tallon and Steve Tambellini, respectively. Terms of the deals were undisclosed. “We are very pleased to have agreed to a contract extension with Dale. Over the last two years, he has worked tirelessly to re-position our team and hockey operations department,” Sunrise Sports & Entertainment General Partner Cliff Viner said in a statement released by the Panthers. “Our team’s success can be attributed directly to Dale’s passion, leadership and the motivation that he has instilled in our organization. He has assembled a hockey management team and a roster of driven players that are focused on making the Florida Panthers a successful organization both on and off the ice.” “Three years ago we asked Steve to begin a rebuild which we all know hasn't been easy,” Oilers President of Hockey Operations Kevin Lowe said in a statement. “However, Oilers fans can take some consolation in the fact that Steve and his staff have acquired some amazing talent which will most definitely be the cornerstone to future sustained success for the Edmonton Oilers.” You can follow us on Twitter @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman. Photos by Getty Images

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