WIN the Stanley Cup at home. There is no other option.

That has to be the message from head coach Darryl Sutter to his Los Angeles Kings.

While panic has not set in, the underlying reality is not a pleasant one anyone wearing black and silver (including 14 former Manchester Monarchs) wants to face. A loss for L.A. to New Jersey in Game 6 tonight (8 p.m.) means many things and none of them is good for the Kings.

The No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and an afterthought to all but the most savvy prognosticators, the Kings stunned everyone by reaching the final round with ease. They scorched seeds 1, 2 and 3 en route to a 12-2 record.

And up 3-0 in the finals, it seemed like no one would be able to question this particular Cinderella's place in the big dance.

But this tough New Jersey squad, a team that had to scrap through seven games with higher-ranked Florida, blasted a deeply flawed Philadelphia team and then out-Rangered the top-ranked New York Rangers with a scrappy effort in the Eastern Conference final, was not ready to fold.

Now the Stanley Cup Final stands at 3-2 heading back to L.A. tonight. A New Jersey win brings with it several realities.

First, it means that Los Angeles, who had not even lost more than one game in any series during this run, has now lost three consecutive games. Momentum, so important in the ebb and flow game of hockey, would be utterly lost.

Second, it would mean a winner-take-all, anything-can-happen Game 7 would be on tap. In New Jersey.

There is also Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur to consider.

While it probably has not been spoken out loud, an idea has to have passed through the heads of nearly every member of his team ... if the Devils win, Brodeur skates his fourth Cup and at age 40, would have written the best possible “the end” to a career you could ever script.

Panic does not appear to have set in for the Kings, who in reality, outplayed New Jersey in Game 5. But the little things went against them. A Devils goal off former Monarch Slava Voynov and into the net. Shots that cleanly beat Brodeur ringing off goal posts.

These are the things that plant seeds of doubt. Now, backed up and facing the only adversity they've seen in the postseason, the Kings have to dig deep if they want to claim Lord Stanley's prize for the first time in franchise history.

And going to a Game 7, even with all the negatives it would mean for the Kings, does not guarantee a Devils win. New Jersey is fighting history, as only one team has ever recovered from a 3-0 hole in the finals to win (Toronto in 1942). And L.A. has been a monster on the road at 10-1.

But at home tonight with the Cup in the building, waiting for them, the Kings need to find a way to get it done one more time. One more final push and the season is over and the skate into history is complete.

It has to be that way for L.A. because the alternative doesn't look good.

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FOR THE third consecutive season, the Manchester Monarchs were eliminated from the AHL playoffs by the eventual Calder Cup champion. On Saturday, the Norfolk Admirals completed their sweep of Toronto to claim the Cup.

Norfolk beat Manchester three games to one in the first round. Last season it was Binghamton (in round one) knocking off Manchester and in 2010 it was Hershey in the Eastern Conference Final.

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Ian Clark covers pro hockey for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. His e-mail address is iclark@unionleader.com.