Kings vs Coyotes: Lack of Go-to Scorer Will Lead to Sweep of Reeling Coyotes

When you find yourself trailing three games to none in a playoff series such as the Phoenix Coyotes presently are in the NHL Western Conference Finals, odds are there are a number of reasons why the team finds itself in such a hole.

Such as the fact that the Coyotes had the misfortune to run into a sudden buzzsaw of a Los Angeles Kings squad that has gone 11-1 in the postseason, blowing through the West's best teams like they were made of tissue paper after barely making the playoffs at all. Until the Coyotes briefly took the lead in the second period of Game 3, Los Angeles hadn't trailed in almost 18 periods.

That's almost six games folks. From the West's supposed eighth seed.

Of all the Coyotes' issues right now, the most pressing one is a problem that there is unfortunately no quick answer for. Phoenix found a way around this shortcoming during the regular season, but it seems destined to make the Coyotes the latest victims of a Los Angeles sweep when the teams next meet on Sunday.

At a time when the Coyotes are desperate for offense the team needs someone they can depend on to put the biscuit in the basket, a top-line scoring threat that can put a modicum of pressure on the supremely confident Kings.

The only problem with that is that Phoenix doesn't have one, and hasn't really had one all season long. Paola Boivin of the Arizona Republic reports that while the team was able to succeed with a group that was more than the sum of its' parts earlier this year, the lack of a superstar may be catching up to the Coyotes at the worst possible time.

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During the regular season, one of the more-intriguing story lines about the Coyotes' success involved accountability. The lack of superstars made each player embrace his role. Deep in the playoffs, however, accountability isn't enough. Having a go-to guy counts, too.

Just ask the Kings. They extended their series lead to 3-0 at Staples Center when Dwight King broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal of this series. Fourth.

The Coyotes have just three goals total in three games.

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This lack of firepower isn't necessarily the fault of the team, as the NHL's stewardship of the Coyotes this season while the league searched for a buyer for the team severely hamstrung the front office financially. General Manager Don Maloney did the best he could with what he had, but the talent disparity between the Kings and Coyotes has been glaringly apparent in this series.

The Phoenix Coyotes enjoyed their most successful season in the Valley in 2011-2012, winning a playoff series for the first time since relocating from Winnipeg.

However, you're not going to win many playoff games against a white-hot team if you can't light the lamp, and the Coyotes' lack of offensive firepower seems set to end their 2012 playoff run with a thud.