The way their winter is going, the Los Angeles Kings might not even get a chance to defend their crown in the spring. After blowing a third-period lead in their 3-2 loss at Florida on Thursday night, the Kings (21-18-12) have fallen five points behind Vancouver for fourth place in the Pacific Division and the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. With just three wins in their last 15 games, the Kings began the weekend in a 10th-place tie with Minnesota and Dallas, and only two Western teams have fewer victories. While Los Angeles has never been a regular-season juggernaut, even the champs agree that this slump could prevent them from deploying their postseason magic to contend for a third Stanley Cup title in four years. More...