Kings go for sweep on bi-national TV *

Update: Kings lost 3-1, play next on Sunday in Vancouver

Tonight's potentially clinching playoff game at Staples Center between the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks will air locally on NBC Sports Network, using a feed from the Canadian Broadcasting Company. It's a big story up there: Canada's best hope for a Stanley Cup possibly being bounced by the lowly LA Kings. The Kings took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with two strong wins up in Vancouver and by hanging on to win at Staples Center on Sunday night in a game in which they were mostly outplayed. It's the first time the Kings have ever had a playoff opponent down 3-0, but they have won nothing yet. There's a lot of recent history in the NHL of teams battling back from 0-3 deficits, and even more history of pushing such a series all the way to the seventh game. The Canucks are the superior team on paper: number one in the NHL during the regular season.

Meanwhile, the Kings have concluded their morning pre-game skate at their training rink in El Segundo. Injured players Kyle Clifford and Andre Loktionov are out of the lineup for tonight, and Brad Richardson is in, according to Kings reporter Rich Hammond.

The national broadcast means no local TV coverage by regular announcers Bob Miller and Jim Fox. The radio team of Nick Nickson and Daryl Evans will be in their usual place on KTLK 1150. Fox will spend the game taking part in a live chat on reporter Hammond's LA Kings Insider blog.

For the uninitiated, this is the first round of four in the NHL playoffs. It takes 16 tough wins to get your hands on the Stanley Cup.