Kings Vs Flames Game Preview: Kings 1st Round Matchup Still To Be Determined

The Kings are in Calgary, taking on the Flames in their final regular-season game. While the Kings have already clinched a playoff spot, they can move as high as 2nd in the Pacific after tonight. While the Kings play the Flames, the Oilers play the Canucks, and the Ducks play the Predators, so even if the Kings win, they can still end up playing against Colorado in the first round. 

Here are the Kings' projected lines for tonight: 

Artemi Panarin - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe

Trevor Moore - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere

Joel Armia - Scott Laughton - Jared Wright

Mathieu Joseph - Samuel Helenius - Taylor Ward

Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty

Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke

Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci

Anton Forsberg

Darcy Kuemper

Here are the Flames projected lines for tonight:  

Blake Coleman - Mikael Backlund - Joel Farabee

Matvei Gridin - Morgan Frost - Victor Olofsson

Matt Coronato - Connor Zary - Adam Klapka

Yegor Sharangovich - Rory Kerins - Aydar Suniev

Zayne Parekh - Zach Whitecloud

Olli Maatta - Hunter Brzustewicz

Abram Wiebe - Brayden Pachal 

Arsenii Sergeev

Dustin Wolf

With tonight's game being the last, it could be the difference between the Kings playing the Oilers or the Avalanche, so they need to treat it as extremely important. The Kings are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss against the Vancouver Cancuks but they need to bounce back tonight. 

One player who has been playing well recently is Quinton Byfield, who has 3 goals in his last 2 games and will be looked upon heavily tonight. Same with the duo of Kempe and Panarin, especially as they get ready for the playoffs, as they have been a major reason the Kings are in the playoffs in the first place. 

Another important aspect for the Kings is to treat this as a must-win game. This game can change the entire outlook for the Kings' playoff picture, and even if the Ducks and Oilers win tonight, the Kings must do their part and beat the Flames. 

My prediction for tonight's matchup is a 4-2 Kings win.