Richards a key Game 2 loss for Kings

Just minutes before Game 2, the surprise announcement was made: Kings center Mike Richards would be scratched from the lineup with an upper-body injury.

“You have to have the backup plan and be ready for it,” Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter said Monday. “It’s tough to lose a player at that time.

“It’s not like Mike Richards (10 goals in 14 playoff games) is a guy you sort of spot in your lineup; he’s a significant part of everything. If you’re into matchups, faceoffs, penalty killing, last minutes, first minutes … it moves everybody around a little bit.”

Rookie Tyler Toffoli replaced Richards in the lineup Sunday and finished with a goal and an assist. Sutter did not update Richards’ status for Game 3.

You never know:Just because the Kings are 7-0 at the Staples Center in the postseason and 14-0 dating to the regular season doesn#146;t mean they#146;re taking anything for granted when the Blackhawks hit town.#147;It#146;s not a rite of passage you#146;re going to win at home,#148; Kings forward Justin Williams said. #147;Whether we get in there and grind to a 1-0 victory or win by more than 1 goal, at the end of the day, it just needs to get done.#148;On the brink ... yet again:Dropping their first two games against St. Louis before rallying. Going to a seventh and deciding game against San Jose. And now dropping two straight to the Hawks over the weekend.How many times can the Kings go to the well this postseason before it runs dry?#147;We#146;re certainly not making it easy on ourselves, right?#148; forward Colin Fraser said. #147;In the playoffs, playing lots of games in a short amount of time, you have to find a way to dig in whether you#146;re tired or not. You really don#146;t have a choice.#148;He said it:#147;Obviously it#146;s not do or die tomorrow, but it is.#148;#151; Kings forward Justin Williams on Game 3