EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Kings went through last year's Stanley Cup Playoffs like a buzz saw. So far this spring, that saw has been dulled, bent and chipped in what is arguably the most closely contested series of this postseason.

"I don't remember all the statistics from series in the past, but from what I've read there [were] 377-some hits going into last game," Dustin Penner said of L.A.'s Western Conference Quarterfinal against the St. Louis Blues.

"I'd have to think this is the most physical one I've been a part of so far."

ANAHEIM -- Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock opened his press conference Wednesday with a rundown of what had transpired since he last spoke to the media.

"I went to Huntington Beach for a couple of hours and had a meal at Capital Grille," he said. "Fifteen teams left in the tournament. That should shorten this right up."

There wasn't much to talk about before Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals between the Detroit Red Wings and the Anaheim Ducks, which will be played Wednesday at Honda Center (10 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN, RDS).

Babcock said he will make no changes to his lineup, and Anaheim will appear to do the same, because it did not do line rushes during its morning skate.

Detroit evened the best-of-7 series at 2-2 partly because its young players have grown accustomed to the Stanley Cup Playoff intensity.

Babcock summed it up when he said, "Our kids got to be good or we can't win. We don't have enough."

ANAHEIM -- It's not exactly a news flash that when Corey Perry is scoring, the Anaheim Ducks are winning.

A look at the numbers tells it all: Including the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Ducks are 20-5-2 when Perry records a point and 9-9-3 when he doesn't. So his one point through four games of the Western Conference Quarterfinal series against the Detroit Red Wings is naturally magnified.

Game 5 is Wednesday at Honda Center (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN, RDS).

Perry was a 50-goal scorer and Hart Trophy winner in 2010-11 who signed an eight-year, $69 million contract extension in March.

"If you know Corey Perry, you know how competitive he is," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said Tuesday. "I'm sure he is pressing a little too much. He's just got to do what comes natural to him. When you're getting chances, you know things are going OK.

"It's when you're not getting any chances and you're not getting any touches at the puck, then all of a sudden you start to worry about your game. But he had three really good chances [Monday] night, and I would venture to guess that if he had those three chances tomorrow night [in Game 5], he's going to put two of them in."

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Kings coach Darryl Sutter will appear to go with seven defensemen again and rotate wingers on the fourth line for Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

Alec Martinez took part in the line rushes Monday with Rob Scuderi, while Jake Muzzin was with Slava Voynov. Drew Doughty skated with usual partner Robyn Regehr while Keaton Ellerby would remain in, largely as a penalty-killing force.

Jordan Nolan took rushes with the fourth line but stayed out with the extras.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – It was difficult not to notice Alec Martinez when he stepped on the ice for an optional skate Sunday.

The sombrero gave him away, for starters. He also wore a green jersey and a red sock and white sock in a presumed homage to the Mexican flag on Cinco de Mayo. A few cheers went up from the sparse crowd.

"We obviously had a little fun with that in the locker room," said Martinez, who actually has Spanish heritage on his grandfather's side. "If you can't laugh at yourself, I don't think you can't laugh at all. We had fun with it but it was back to work once we were on the ice."

Los Angeles Kings coach Darryl Sutter said he bought the sombrero at liquor store in the morning, and Martinez gave the line of the day when told about his coach's, um, shopping habits.

LOS ANGELES -- There could be a new face on the Los Angeles Kings defense, and it doesn't appear to be Matt Greene who is going back into the lineup.

The Kings changed up their defensive pairings at the morning skate Saturday as Alec Martinez skated with Rob Scuderi while Slava Voynov was with Jake Muzzin.

The presence of Martinez is significant because he has not played since April 2. He didn't know or wouldn't say if he would play in Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the St. Louis Blues (10 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, RDS).

"Ask Darryl," Martinez said in reference to coach Darryl Sutter. "Every guy wants to play. I'll just wait, and if my name's called I'll be ready."

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The sun came up for the Los Angeles Kings when they returned home Friday. In fact, it was 93 degrees in L.A. and the Kings tried to put a sunny outlook on their 2-0 deficit against the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

The Kings last faced a 2-0 series hole in the 2002 conference quarterfinals. They last time they erased such a deficit and won was in the 2001 conference quarterfinals against the Detroit Red Wings.

This is drastically different from the Stanley Cup run last season in which Los Angeles took a 3-0 lead in all four postseason series.

“We’re not going to do what we did last year,” forward Dustin Penner said. “We've got to find different ways to win games now.

“We expect to win them all. We know based on reality, that’s probably not going to happen. But you just take each task on as it comes at you. Now we’re down, 2-0, we've got to worry about having a good start. They’re going to come in here -- opportunity lies in front of them -- they want to get that third one just like we did last year. We've got to combat what they’re going to bring to the table.”

ANAHEIM -- Deep in the recesses of the Detroit Red Wings locker room, a player could be heard playfully singing out Todd Bertuzzi's name, presumably summoning Bertuzzi to the throng of media waiting.

Bertuzzi is ready for his close-up.

Detroit coach Mike Babcock confirmed at the morning skate Thursday that Bertuzzi, 38, will return to the lineup for Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN, RDS).

ANAHEIM -- The Detroit Red Wings had an off-ice workout Wednesday and coach Mike Babcock said he hadn’t decided if he would make lineup changes for Game 2.

Todd Bertuzzi and Mikael Samuelsson are available but Babcock threw cold water on the idea of bringing the forwards in even though they have Stanley Cup Playoff experience.

"I think it’s great to have veterans that are ready to go," Babock said. "I've just been around the game a long time and understand that when a guy misses training camp … why is he not very good? Because he missed training camp.

"I haven’t spent a whole lot of time feeding my family on hope. It’s know. So sleep on it more tonight and decide."

ANAHEIM -- Nick Bonino admits he's a little over-the-top with his goal celebrations.

"I always get a hard time for this, but every goal I score I celebrate like I’ve never scored before," said Bonino, who scored the first Stanley Cup Playoff goal of his career in the Anaheim Ducks' 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. "Honestly, I get so happy. I guess the playoffs amps it up a little bit. I didn’t really know where to go. I just sort of skated as fast as I could somewhere and I ended up into the glass. I like that corner, apparently."