With or without Anze Kopitar, the Los Angeles Kings are playing some entertaining hockey.

Yes, those Los Angeles Kings. The team that has spent much of the season battling for last place in the Western Conference has been downright entertaining since Christmas.

And while they are not in the playoff race, their 5-4-7 since the start of February is not exactly embarrassing. Consider for the past several games, they have been playing without the services of Calder Trophy candidate Anze Kopitar, who continues to struggle with a nagging back ailment.

Since veteran goalie Sean Burke arrived on the scene, the Kings have been receiving solid goaltending from Burke and Mathieu Garon. Scoring goals has not been the problem, as Los Angeles has tallied a respectable 192 goals this season. The difference now is Garon and Burke are keeping them out of the net, something the squad struggled with through the first half of the season.

With forwards like Kopitar, Alexander Frolov, and Michael Cammalleri, Los Angeles will have plenty of firepower next season. If Patrick O'Sullivan improves on an often-shaky rookie season and develops as many expect, the Kings could be an offensive juggernaut within a couple of years.

Indications are highly touted blueliner Jack Johnson will leave the University of Michigan prior to next season in order to join the Kings. If Johnson signs ings and general manager Dean Lombardi can find a couple of solid free agents -- preferably one forward and one defenseman -- Los Angeles could become next year's Pittsburgh.

It's a Dogs' life

Okay, so the team is known as the Long Beach Ice Dogs. Still, it does not mean canines are big fans of the California ECHL franchise.

In any case, fans will be allowed to bring their dogs to Saturday's Ice Dogs game against Alaska. Teams such as the Utah Grizzlies and the now-defunct San Diego Gulls have tried this in the past, but generally, the negative feedback far outweighs positive feedback.

Thankfully, the teams typically limit the dogs to a certain part of the arena -- three sections in this case -- but there is a myriad of problems. Those with allergies will struggle, and since dander can last for several months, those seats could be off-limits for some time.

As any dog owner knows, it is not uncommon for dogs to start barking when they are around other dogs. Put a few dozen -- or few hundred -- dogs in one place, and it could be noisy. Not the type of noise that adds to a game, but the type of noise that distracts fans. That is, unless the dogs truly are fans and know when to bark. Considering this will be the first game for many dogs (if not all of them), that is unlikely.

What if a dog bites a fan at the game? In a lawsuit-happy world, this one seems a lot more legitimate than many other lawsuits. After all, a dog is not a normal or expected hazard at a hockey game.

The Ice Dogs struggle to draw large crowds, but this is not the way to improve attendance. Only two-legged fans count in the attendance numbers anyway.

Exclusively Showing Poker Network?

There is some discussion that ESPN actually carried some hockey highlights last week. Apparently, the Chris Simon incident got some airtime on the Exclusively Showing Poker Network.

Yawn.

Why does anyone care what ESPN thinks anyway? They have ignored hockey for years, and the coverage is next to nothing since the NHL broke off talks with the network and wisely bolted for Versus (then known as OLN).

Then again, maybe things have changed. Like many hockey fans, I have not watched ESPN in months, other than overseeing a bit of coverage in a bar.

To the folks at ESPN -- if you decide to cover hockey again, take out an ad in The Hockey News or on XM Home Ice 204. Until then, millions of hockey fans will not be watching.

It's Hockey Night in Canada. Why is it Hockey Morning in the United States?

On the topic of television -- is anyone watching NBC games that start at 9:30 in the morning on the west coast? Are hockey fans even awake that early after a long Saturday night of watching hockey?

NBC's game times continue to be the reason for low ratings. Hockey is a night game, not an afternoon game. And when games start at noon or earlier, forget about getting decent ratings. We are not NFL fans, we are not conditioned to drinking our morning coffee while watching the game, and we do not care to adapt.

The ramifications carry over beyond the day of the game as well. In several cases, a team playing early Sunday also was forced to play early Saturday in order to avoid a Saturday night-Sunday morning schedule situation. Even the teams that are not on NBC are getting a bad deal in this situation.

To top it off, hockey players are finely tuned machines and creatures of habit. The difference between a normal 7 to 8 pm start and the early afternoon start can play a major factor in the outcome. Several NHLers, including Anaheim's Teemu Selanne, have expressed their disdain for afternoon games, noting the games are often less intense and entertaining.

Hockey is a night sport. Looking at the prime time lineup of most major American networks, it is mindboggling they cannot fit in the NHL into an evening schedule. Forget so-called reality television which is nothing other than average people (in other words, not highly-paid actors) playing roles in a pre-determined outcome. The NHL, and sports in general, is true reality television.

And above all, it is a game meant to be played in the evening. Hopefully the NHL and NBC keep this in mind come playoff time.