The Stanley Cup has never enjoyed a summer vacation in California. The Kings almost arranged a visit in 1993, but things took a nasty turn (or should we say, dramatic curve?) and the Cup opted for one of its favorite summertime destinations -- Montreal.

This preseason, the Sharks and Kings seemed ready to make an earnest run through the playoffs, with the Sharks earning consideration as a Cup favorite. But, somewhere during this screwy NHL season, those two California dreamers have hit some rough surf. So much so, that the Mighty Ducks -- armed with a stray rally monkey and a bunch of thundersticks -- have moved past them in the standings.

If the season ended today, the California trio wouldn't make the playoffs. The upside: there is little less than half a season left and all three teams are within striking distance.

Slap "Hotel California" in the CD player, while we look at what's gone wrong and what must go right in the second half if Lord Stanley is going to visit the left coast.

San Jose Sharks
They faced one major obstacle going into the season. No, not Gary Suter's retirement or Evgeni Nabokov's contract dispute. It was much worse. I made them my preseason pick to win the Cup. Sorry, guys. The club repaid my confidence by lowballing Nabokov and defenseman Brad Stuart in contract negotiations. Both players missed training camp and the first part of the season. Not surprisingly, neither player has found his form of a year ago. On Dec. 2, management fired coach Darryl Sutter, who landed in Calgary less than a month later. GM Dean Lombardi replaced Sutter with former Ducks and Caps coach Ron Wilson. The Sharks have been a bit better under Wilson (7-6-3-2; 9-12-2-2 under Sutter), but haven't made up lost ground in the playoff race. "Night in, night out, they haven't had that consistent physical intensity," said one Western Conference scout. "They don't seem to be the same team as last year."

Captain Owen Nolan, who usually leads the physical charge, has been playing through injuries this season. The same goes for rugged left wing Scott Thornton. If Nolan or Thornton can't play at the top of their game, the Sharks seem destined for an early vacation for the first time since 1997.

Los Angeles Kings
The club's doctors have been working overtime during the first half of the season. Through 44 games, the Kings have lost a stunning 194 man-games to injury.

Top players Jason Allison, Adam Deadmarsh, Aaron Miller, Ziggy Palffy, Bryan Smolinski and Eric Belanger all have missed some portion of the first half. The Kings' top line of Allison, Palffy and Deadmarsh has played just eight games together (combining for 36 points). The rash of injuries has coach Andy Murray wondering if it's just bad luck or if there is a cause. "We're analyzing our training and practice methods to see if there's any connection to the number of injuries," Murray said. Allison has returned to the lineup after being sidelined on two different occasions, but he's somewhat limited due to his knee injury. "He's only about 70 percent right now," Murray said. Deadmarsh, Miller, Smolinski and Belanger are still on the injured list. Deadmarsh's injury, which may be post-concussion syndrome, is the most serious, and there isn't a timetable for his return.

Despite the debilitating injuries, Murray has been impressed by the team's steady work ethic. "There has only been three games where we didn't work hard," Murray said. "Because of that, we haven't been giving up a lot of shots or scoring chances."

The inconsistent play of starting goalie Felix Potvin and backup Jamie Storr hasn't helped, either. If Potvin fails to rediscover his game in the second half, the Kings will be hard pressed to lock down a playoff spot.

For now, Murray has decided to break the team's schedule down into small increments. "Starting with Monday's game against the Sharks (a 3-2 OT win), we're looking at our final 39 games as 13 best-of-three series," Murray said. "We need to win all of those series (or 26 of the last 39) to get to the playoffs. We figure it's going to take 93 points to make the playoffs in our conference."

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
First-year coach Mike Babcock has instilled a strong work ethic in the 2003-03 Mighty Ducks, and they've been difficult to play against on most nights. That hard work has paid off with an improved record and a shot at the postseason. GM Bryan Murray, who witnessed things from the Ducks' bench last year, knew his team needed more offense. So, he added playmaker Adam Oates, sharp-shooter Petr Sykora and offensive defenseman Fredrik Olausson to the roster during the offseason. The Ducks also have benefited by Steve Rucchin's return to health. A rash of severe injuries -- a stress fracture in his leg, a broken hand and a puck to the face which broke bones and left him with a concussion -- limited the center to 54 of a possible 164 games during the last two seasons. This year, he might be their best player. Babcock believes improved special teams have been another key the team's turnaround. "[Detroit GM] Kenny Holland always told me you want your PP and PK to equal a number lower than 10 (top five in each category)," Babcock said. "Right now, we're a 12 (7th in PP and 5th in PK), so we can get a little better." Babcock, who remains a little worried about the club's depth, would like to see his team do one thing for the remainder of the season. "We need to answer the physical challenge, the wear and tear of the games, night after night," Babcock said. "Every shift, each player tells his teammate something about himself. Everybody has to be accountable. "We don't want to go away," Babcock added. "We want to be resilient. We want to keep playing in big games." Unlike the Sharks and Kings, the Ducks have been getting consistent goaltending from J.S. Giguere. Hartford's first round pick in 1995, Giguere has a strong .913 save percentage with five shutout in 36 games. Giguere, 25, hasn't been through a battle for a playoff spot. If he folds under pressure, the Ducks are done. If he maintains his cool, the Ducks have a chance to sneak back into the playoffs.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.