The LA Kings have clinched a playoff spot with over 100 points, and they did this within 77 games. The third spot in the Western Conference has a nice ring to it. The record so far is 45-22-10; the team who was not looking so great is now sparkling in the spotlight. The playoffs are a great time, though often nail-biting for the fans. Many teams and fans live for this; as a King’s fan, it is party time. The fans continue to celebrate; we still need to keep an eye on these last five games. They could slip down in the standings and then play someone that might have their number. Coach McClellan has stated that “It’s a relief, once you get that asterisk by your name, you can breathe easier.”
During that game, the team was blessed with two goals by Alex Iafallo. Rounding out the scoring for the night was Anze Kopitar and Blake Lizotte. The goal party was wondrous, and even Jonas Korpisalo was fantastic in the net. The Kings Goalies are on the way to taking turns during the first round of the playoffs.
Now it is still uphill from here. We need to keep an eye on other teams. We cannot coast from here and think we’ll be fine. If that happened, we could slip in the standings and end up playing someone we don’t want. In the past, players have scoreboard watched, and that is what the guys need to do. The standings can still run in your favor or against it.
After the clinching game, the team has slipped a bit, so now is not the time to fluff feathers. It’s still battle mode. We played the Oilers ( who might be the opponent), and it was a disaster. Then that long-awaited trip to Vegas to play the Golden Knights. Everyone wanted the Quick and Kings reunion game, and that did not happen. Brossoit played instead. That was a bummer, but if that matchup happens, we could still see Quick in the net playing his old team. Right now, the Kings are sitting at third in the Pacific Division, with more teams ready for primetime. More hockey to come because they play the Avalanche and the Ducks (those freeway faceoff games are always great to watch).
The playoffs begin on April 17th; the coverage will be on ESPN, with some later-round games coming to the ABC networks. Before then, the games will be set, and we can finally prepare for our first-round opponent. In my humble fan opinion, I still wish it was 1-8. Where first place plays 8th, second place plays seventh, and so on, but everyone is moved after the end of the round, but that is for another article, so GO KINGS GO
