After the Kings lost a costly overtime game against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, LA no longer has the luxury of easing into the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Kings suffered one of their worst losses of the season on Tuesday, losing in overtime against the Vancouver Canucks. Against the weakest team in the NHL, with major playoff seedings on the line, LA chooses to lose at the worst time.
It should've been an easy routine win against the Canucks, instead the Kings had to battle all night long just to lose in overtime, as they've regularly done all throughout this season.
Now, with that loss turning into a missed opportunity, it may ultimately shape their playoff path and doom a possible deep playoff run. With just one game remaining against the Calgary Flames on Thursday, the Kings now face a critical decision: rest starters to stay healthy for the postseason, or go all out and win for a more favorable seeding.
Given what’s at stake, the answer should be clear. This is not the time for Los Angeles to take its foot off the gas.
Seeding On The Line
On paper, the loss to Vancouver might not seem devastating. The Kings have already clinched a playoff spot and are preparing for the postseason. But the context of the loss tells a much different story.
The Canucks entered the game with nothing to play for, sitting near the bottom of the standings. Meanwhile, the Kings had everything to gain, with a chance to improve their position in the Pacific Division and avoid a difficult first-round matchup.
The loss now leaves them still in the second wild-card spot in the postseason, with a much tougher playoff path ahead.
Rather than positioning themselves for a potentially favorable matchup against a Pacific Division opponent, the Kings are now staring at the possibility of facing the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, a team that just won the Presidents' Trophy and is widely considered the most dangerous team in the Western Conference.
It gets even more challenging because, even if the Kings can somehow pull off a miraculous upset over the Avalanche, they'll still face an even steeper uphill battle in the second round against either the Dallas Stars or the Minnesota Wild.
This is, without question, a very brutal path for the Kings to overcome if they hold the second wild card spot. Now, if they want a favorable matchup in the first round and an easier path to the Western Conference Finals, they'll need to finish either second or third in the Pacific Division.
LA will need help, though, from the Edmonton Oilers or Anaheim Ducks if they want to finish at worst as the third seed. Either Edmonton or Anaheim has to lose their final game, and the Kings must win their regular-season finale against the Flames.
At best, the Kings can get the second seed and earn home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and likely play an injured Oilers team or an inconsistent Ducks team, making for a much easier first-round matchup and likely face Vegas or Utah in the second round, avoiding the Central Division monsters until the WCF.
Thursday
Canucks at Oilers -
The Canucks have a chance to end the regular season defeating four Pacific Division teams if they can defeat the Oilers on the road on Thursday. After defeating the Sharks, Kings, and Ducks this week, Vancouver can drop Edmonton in the playoff seeding if it decides to play hard.
Ducks at Predators -
Anaheim has been on its worst stretch of the season since Dec/Jan, winning just one game in April, and is 1-6-2 in its last nine games. The interesting part will be whether Nashville decides to rest its starters or try to win its final regular-season home game.
One Final Opportunity
A strong performance against Calgary and an Anaheim or Edmonton loss can help put the Kings in the best possible position heading into the playoffs. If that doesn't happen, we'll look back on their game against Vancouver and blame their performance in that game for going home in the first round against Colorado.
That’s why the decision in the season finale is so important. Resting players might seem like the safe choice, but in reality, it could come at a much greater cost. And after letting one opportunity slip away, the Kings can’t afford to waste another.
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