Pregame Skate: L.A. looks to punch first Stanley Cup ticket since 1993

The Phoenix Coyotes have their back against the wall and every other elimination cliche you want to throw out. At this point the goal is just to win a game and get the series back to Phoenix, otherwise it's season over.

By Brian Stubits

May 20, 2012 at 10:26 am ET • 3 min read

3 ET, Phoenix at Los Angeles, Game 4 (NBC)

It has taken this long for the Coyotes to make their way onto an NBC national telecast and it has the look of being very bittersweet. It's their first one and it might be their last one for a while.

Like everybody else who has faced the Kings this Spring, the Coyotes have been simply outmatched from the moment the series began. Truth be told they are dominating the postseason at a level I don't remember seeing in a long time. If they finish off the sweep today in L.A. they will move to an astounding 12-1 this postseason. That's simply incredible.

The funny thing about L.A. I think is that in this series the attention has shifted away from Jonathan Quick and he's not getting a whole lot of the accolades. Rightfully so, the skaters in front of him are being lauded -- hey, what do you expect when Dwight King is the new scoring machine? -- which is ironic considering how things were all season long.

However Quick, outside of the one Game 1 gaffe, has been his usual outstanding self, too. His goals against average is just 1.00 through the three games. Granted, he isn't facing a lot of shots, but the Coyotes haven't peppered any goalie with shots in the postseason and they still managed to score a lot more than this.

This team just doesn't seem to have a weakness at the moment. It's as if they are Achilles and their mom threw them in the river Styx instead of just dipping them in. There is no vulnerabilities at the moment.

Switching back to the Coyotes, they did play probably their best game of the series so far in Game 3 but they still couldn't win. It makes you wonder if they have any cards left to play that can help them at least send this series back to Phoenix.

Because if this series does make it back to the desert, it will likely be an emotional day. With the fate of the franchise still not solid, it might have a farewell feel to it, at least from some of the pessimistic fans. Because, as the Toronto Sun reminds, their next loss could be their last as the Phoenix Coyotes.

This game kicks off the busiest day of a hectic weekend for Staples Center. With the Kings starting at noon Pacific time, they had to get the basketball court out after last night's Lakers game, so the first question is what kind of condition will the ice be in? They obviously haven't had a lot of time to get it smoothed over and in good excellent shape for Sunday's game.

Moreover, if the game gets into overtime the Staples crew is going to be sweating bullets as the Clippers play later on Sunday. Don't forget that now, if the Kings win, you have to add on a little extra time for the trophy presentations, too.

And right now, I can't see the Kings not getting handed a trophy today in L.A.

Daily miscellany

The Canucks will be moving one of their goaltenders this summer, right? Well maybe not. (The Province)
While Zach Parise continues to play, people continue to speculate on where he plays next season. Of course the Flyers are being mentioned. (Philadelphia Inquierer)
Meanwhile Parise's father is upset with how comments he made were interpretted for saying Zach would fit well with the Rangers. (Fire & Ice)
John Tortorella after a win? Much, much more pleasant at the mic than after a loss.