The Los Angeles Kings have assured themselves a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. How much effort they will put into winning the final three games of the regular season remains to be seen.
The Kings continue a four-game homestand to close out the regular season by hosting the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night.
Los Angeles (42-26-11, 95 points) remains in a tight battle for third in the Pacific Division with the Vegas Golden Knights, but that place in the standings also likely would come with a first-round matchup against the red-hot Edmonton Oilers.
On Saturday, the Kings might want to try to redeem their 3-1 loss to the Ducks on Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif., which delayed them locking up a playoff spot for a third straight season.
That moment finally arrived with a 4-1 win against the visiting Calgary Flames on Thursday, eliciting a big sigh of relief and earning the players a day off on Friday.
“That was our goal when we started training camp, so one step at a time,” Kings forward Viktor Arvidsson said after scoring two goals against Calgary. “We did a good job in the regular season to get to this point.”
Kings interim coach Jim Hiller said reaching the postseason has been a teamwide effort, beginning when they opened the season in Australia and through a turbulent midseason stretch that cost coach Todd McLellan his job.
“Everybody who has been involved has been a part of the team reaching the playoffs,” Hiller said. “I think everybody should be proud of that; it’s a hard thing to do. More importantly, it’s an exciting thing to do because now you get to take the next step. We’ve earned the right to take the next step.”
The Ducks (26-49-5, 57 points) are coming off a 6-3 loss to the visiting Flames on Friday.
Anaheim made it interesting by scoring three goals in a 4:07 span early in the third period to cut the deficit to 4-3, but the Flames put the game away with two goals down the stretch.
Sam Colangelo, making his NHL debut for the Ducks after signing a two-year entry-level contract on Thursday, began the comeback with his first NHL goal. He recently completed his senior season at Western Michigan.
“It’s a dream come true,” Colangelo said at the morning skate on Friday. “It’s something I’ve worked for my whole life. I’m really excited to be here, really excited for this moment for myself, but also for my family and a lot of people back home who have helped me get to this day.”
After the game in Los Angeles, the Ducks will conclude their season Thursday at Vegas before missing the playoffs for the sixth straight season.
Lukas Dostal is expected to start in goal against the Kings after John Gibson made 21 saves during the loss to the Flames.
Dostal made 36 saves against the Kings on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
