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El Segundo, Calif. • Drew Doughty had just played more than 39 minutes in a double-overtime playoff game, and he still couldn't sleep on the Kings' flight back to Los Angeles.
The Western Conference finals have ascended to a new level of tension after the Blackhawks dodged Los Angeles' first attempt to eliminate them. Chicago trimmed its series deficit to 3-2 in an extra-time thriller in Game 5, while the Kings got a sleepless trip home.
Los Angeles gets another chance to advance in Game 6 on Friday night. While the Kings have been incredible in elimination games this spring, Doughty realizes they can't sleep on the opportunity before them at Staples Center.
"We know we can't let it go to a Game 7," Doughty said Thursday at the Kings' training complex. "No matter what, this game has to be ours. It's so important for us to advance to the Stanley Cup Final that we win this game. If we give them this game, they're going to have so much more life, and they're going to be a different team. We need to take that and deal with it."
Doughty's fellow Kings largely agreed with the star defenseman's pointed declarations as they recovered from their worst defensive performance in 16 games. Jonathan Quick and the NHL's best defensive team gave up five goals to the Blackhawks, who survived despite Corey Crawford's fourth straight unimpressive effort in Chicago's net.
Los Angeles, which blew a lead heading to the third period for the first time this spring, has mostly downplayed the notion of payback for last season's conference finals loss to Chicago. But Doughty thinks it should be on the Kings' minds before what might be the defining game of their season.
"They know how to win," Doughty said. "We also know that they took our Cup back from us last year, so now it's our turn. We want to eliminate this team. They eliminated us last year, and it's our turn to return the favor. We need to go into Staples believing that we can eliminate this team, and do just that."
While Doughty attempts to keep the Kings focused on Game 6, the Blackhawks intend to remember what got them off the canvas in Game 5 after the previous seven periods of the series were largely dominated by Los Angeles.
Before Game 5, the Blackhawks curiously insisted all the pressure in the series rested on the Kings, not the team facing three straight elimination games. Whether the facile psychological ploy helped or not, the champions still seem to think Los Angeles is the team in trouble.