The Los Angeles Kings faltered down the stretch due to all kinds of fatigue.

The defending Stanley Cup champions - who won't be returning to the playoffs - appeared to fall prey to the effects of playing 64 playoff contests over the past three years. They've also tired of head coach Darryl Sutter, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

Brooks writes:

Slap Shots has been told by two sources that the Kings locked the door to their locker room following a defeat on the road within the last two weeks so that Sutter could not get in and deliver what the players apparently expected to be another in a series of lectures/tirades. As the tale was told, after Sutter finally tracked down an arena operative to unlock the door, he was greeted by three heavy waste receptacles lined up as barricade to what had become an empty room.

The Kings dropped two games this past week in Sutter's native Alberta, ending their season and their recent run of great success.

While the team did win its final game of the regular season Saturday against the San Jose Sharks, a change behind the bench could happen this offseason if the players did indeed block the coach who led them to two Cups in three years from the room.

If you ask him, however, his time with the club isn't over quite yet.