A Familiar Refrain: On the Road Again

Toronto is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to play a Game 7 there.

Back we go to Canada for another Game 5 with the Kings of the road.

Relax. Take a pill.

Haven’t we been here before?

April 27--The Kings of the road travel to Calgary, tied in their playoff series with the Flames at two games apiece. The pressure is definitely on them. The crowd is definitely against them. But Wayne Gretzky gets four points, Luc Robitaille gets two goals, Robb Stauber makes 40 saves and the Kings win, 9-4. Then they come home to eliminate Calgary in Game 6.

May 11--The Kings of the road travel to Vancouver, tied in their playoff series with the Canucks at two games apiece. The pressure is on. The crowd is against them. But Gary Shuchuk’s goal in the second overtime period gives the Kings a 4-3 victory. Then they come home to eliminate Vancouver in Game 6.

So, here we go again?

Barry Melrose shrugged off Sunday’s series-tying 4-2 defeat to Toronto by saying: “Home ice means nothing. We’re the best road team in the NHL playoffs.”

Pretty funny.

For the past 25 years, the Kings of the road have been a joke.

Know how many playoff games they won on the road?

Fifteen.

That’s correct. Fifteen games in 25 years.

This year, though, their record is 5-3. They won one up in Ontario as recently as last Wednesday night. They have won at least one playoff road game in three different provinces. Quebec could be next.

To a man, the Kings made no big deal of blowing their home-rink advantage.

Rob Blake: “We can win here, there or anywhere. Doesn’t matter.”

Tony Granato: “It’s how you play, not where you play.”

Kelly Hrudey: “We all make mistakes. These things happen. We can still clinch the series at home if we play well, same as before.”

Jimmy Carson: “No use thinking about it. We just have to put our minds to it and go.”

Wayne Gretzky: “I don’t think home ice really means a thing any more. They’ve proven they can win on the road, and we’ve proven we can win on the road.”

Some have said that the ice in Toronto is a little slower than the Forum’s. Others have hinted that the ice in Toronto has the approximate consistency of the LaBrea Tar Pits.

But the scores down here weren’t much different than the ones up there.

“Nah, no difference in the ice,” Granato said. “Not so I’ve noticed.”

It’s the style of play that differs. Toronto likes to get a lead and sit on it. The way the Maple Leafs play hockey at times, you would think their coach was Dean Smith.

Perhaps no team in hockey is as good at protecting a lead as the Maple Leafs.

“It’s hard to catch up when they get ahead of you,” Blake explained. “They always leave one man back. They don’t take any unnecessary chances.”

There was a point in Sunday’s game, for instance, when King defenseman Marty McSorley found himself right in front of Toronto goalie Felix Potvin, aimed, fired and missed. McSorley was so far forward that it was the Maple Leafs who ended up with the scoring opportunity, turning the rebound into a breakaway.

Bob Eastwood sped into the King zone unescorted, broke in alone on Hrudey and got off a hot. Hrudey handled it and Tomas Sandstrom attempted to rake it away from the crease, but unfortunately the puck landed directly onto the blade of Rob Pearson, who scored for a 4-1 Toronto lead.

Bob Eastwood?

Yes, you never know in this series which invisible man is going to score for Toronto next. First, Bill Berg in Game 1. Then, Ken Baumgartner in Game 3. This time it was Eastwood, the rookie fresh off the campus of Western Michigan, a player who didn’t dress for Game 7 vs. St. Louis, didn’t dress for Games 1 and 3 vs. Los Angeles and didn’t shoot in Game 2.

“He got by us,” Blake said. “My mistake.”

No, not only his. Many Kings could accept blame for Sunday’s game--including Gretzky, who played splendidly on offense but also was on the ice for three of Toronto’s four goals.

For some reason, the Kings were flat.

They played the same way in Game 4 against Vancouver--putting a Forum crowd to sleep in a 7-2 defeat.

Game 5 was different for the Kings of the road.

But a Game 7 in Toronto is something they would rather not have to play.