News Clips

4-9-18

FROM LA KINGS INSIDER: Tickets and packages for LA Kings home games can be purchased here. April 8, 2018 Tickets and packages for games played at T-Mobile By: Jon Rosen Arena in Las Vegas can be purchased here. First Round Schedule And Broadcast Details; Ticket Links; NHL Draft Odds ______Dates, times and broadcast details have been confirmed for much of the Kings’ first round The NHL also announced draft lottery odds. The playoff series against the . 2018 NHL Draft lottery will be held Saturday, April Mark it down: 28 in Toronto (NBC/CBC/TVA Sports) and will consist of three drawings that will determined the Game 1, Los Angeles at Vegas: Wednesday, April first overall pick, the second overall pick and the 11, 7:00 p.m., FS West/NBCSN/CBC/TVA third overall pick. The 15 teams that did not qualify Game 2, Los Angeles at Vegas: Friday, April 13, for the playoffs will participate in the lottery. 7:00, Prime Ticket/NBCSN/CBC/TVA Game 3, Vegas at Los Angeles: Sunday, April 15, The 2018 NHL Draft will be held at American 7:30 p.m., FS West/NBCSN/CBC/TVA Airlines Center in Dallas. The first round will be Game 4, Vegas at Los Angeles: Tuesday, April 17, held on Friday, June 22, with rounds 2-7 taking 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket/NBCSN/CBC/TVA place on Saturday, June 23. Game 5*, Los Angeles at Vegas: Thursday, April 19, 7:00, Prime Ticket, TBD First Overall Pick Odds: Game 6*, Vegas at Los Angeles: Saturday, April : 18.5% 21, TBD, Prime Ticket, TBD Ottawa Senators*: 13.5% Game 7*, Los Angeles at Vegas: Monday, April : 11.5% 23, TBD, Prime Ticket, TBD : 9.5% *if necessary Detroit Red Wings: 8.5% : 7.5% All first round games will be broadcast on either Chicago Blackhawks: 6.5% FOX Sports West or Prime Ticket locally and will : 6.0% include special playoff editions of LA Kings live Edmonton Oilers: 5.0% pre and post-game shows. The NHL-wide first : 3.5% round schedule, including television information, is Carolina Hurricanes: 3.0% here: New York Islanders (from CGY): 2.5% Dallas Stars: 2.0% Good news: The Kings schedule alternates with the St. Louis Blues^: 1.5% Ducks-Sharks series, so on off nights you’ll be able Florida Panthers: 1.0% to watch your favorite players Ryan Getzlaf and hammer each other. “MORE * Under the terms of a Nov. 5, 2017, trade: The HITTING!” you will yell from your plush, Senators have the option to retain their pick and velveteen throne as manservants fan you with instead send the Avalanche their first-round pick in oversized palm fronds. the 2019 NHL Draft. ^ Under the terms of a June 23, 2017, trade: If St. On radio, Kings playoff games can be heard on Louis’ pick is in the top 10, the Blues have the flagship station KABC 790. Following home option to retain their pick and instead send the games, the Kings Talk post-game call-in show will Flyers their first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. be broadcast live from Impact Sports Bar and Grill Otherwise, Philadelphia will receive St. Louis’ first- inside . round pick in 2018.

Via the NHL: The odds for the remaining clubs will SOG: LAK – 29; VGK – 40 increase on a proportionate basis for the 2nd Lottery PP: LAK – 0/1; VGK – 0/1 Draw, based on which club wins the 1st Lottery Draw, and again for the 3rd Lottery Draw, based on Thursday, December 28, 2017 – Staples Center which club wins the 2nd Lottery Draw. Vegas 3 (Marchessault, Leipsic, Perron*) Los Angeles 2 (Gaborik, Doughty) The 12 clubs not selected in the 2018 NHL Draft *Perron overtime game-winner Lottery will be assigned 2018 NHL Draft selections SOG: LAK – 28; VGK – 39 4 through 15, in inverse order of regular-season PP: LAK – 0/1; VGK – 0/5 points. Monday, February 26, 2018 – Staples Center -Lead photo via Jeff Bottari/NHLI Vegas 2 (Haula, Smith) Los Angeles 3 (Carter, Kopitar, Brown*) April 8, 2018 *Brown overtime game-winner By: Jon Rosen SOG: LAK – 44; VGK – 39 Las Vegas Numbers At A Glace; Regular Season PP: LAK – 2/4; VGK 0/3 Kings Stats Tuesday, February 27, 2018 – T-Mobile Arena Regular Season Rankings and Statistics Los Angeles 4 (Clifford, Toffoli, Kopitar, Carter) Goals/Game: LAK – 16 / 2.89; VGK – 5 / 3.27 Vegas 1 (Karlsson) Goals Against/Game: LAK – 1 / 2.46; VGK – 8 / SOG: LAK – 30; VGK – 42 2.74 PP: LAK – 1/6; VGK – 0/4 Power Play: LAK – t-17 / 20.4%; VGK – t-9 / 21.4% 2017-18 Final Stats Kill: LAK – 1 / 85.0%; VGK – t-10 / SKATER /// GP / G-A=Pts / +/- / PIM / PPG / 81.4% SHG / SOG / SH% Shots/Game: LAK – t-22 / 31.0; VGK – t-10 / 32.8 Anze Kopitar /// 82 / 35-57=92 / +21 / 20 / 7 / 0 / Shots Against/Game: LAK – 8 / 30.9; VGK – 7 / 200 / 17.5% 30.7 Dustin Brown /// 81 / 28-33=61 / +31 / 58 / 9 / 1 / Faceoffs: LAK – 17 / 49.7%; VGK – t-22 / 48.9% 222 / 12.6% Save Percentage: LAK – 3 / .920; VGK – t-11 / /// 82 / 10-50=60 / +23 / 54 / 3 / 1 / .911 4.9 / 4.9% Corsi-for Percentage: LAK – 16 / 50.0 / VGK – /// 82 / 24-23=47 / +9 / 16 / 6 / 0 / 251 13 / 50.8 / 9.6% /// 74 / 8-34=42 / +10 / 40 / 4 / 0 / 154 Head to Head Score by Period / 5.2% LAK: 2 – 3 – 5 (1 OT): 11 /// 82 / 15-25=40 / +11 / 27 / 2 / 0 / VGK: 5 – 1 – 3 (1 OT): 10 180 / 8.3% Adrian Kempe /// 81 / 16-21=37 / +11 / 49 / 1 / 0 / Head to Head Shots by Period 119 / 13.4% LAK: 47 – 34 – 42 – 8 = 131 /// 68 / 14-12=26 / -6 / 25 / 1 / 2 / 134 VGK: 47 – 58 – 49 – 6 = 160 / 10.4% /// 77 / 9-16=25 / +3 / 34 / 2 / 0 / 111 Head to Head Power Plays: / 8.1% LAK: 3-12 (25.0%) Alex Iafallo /// 75 / 9-16=25 / +10 / 12 / 0 / 0 / 129 / VGK: 0-13 (0.0%) 7.0% /// 27 / 13-9=22 / +4 / 2 / 6 / 1 / 85 / Sunday, November 19, 2017 – T-Mobile Arena 15.3% Los Angeles 2 (Lewis, Pearson) Derek Forbort /// 78 / 1-17=18 / +18 / 49 / 0 / 0 / 78 Vegas 4 (Karlsson x2, Eakin, Tuch) / 1.3%

Nick Shore /// 49 / 4-11=15 / -4 / 12 / 0 / 0 / 52 / 7.7% April 8, 2018 Marian Gaborik /// 30 / 7-7=14 / +9 / 18 / 1 / 0 / 53 / By: Jon Rosen 13.2% First Round Schedule Comes Into Focus, Will Be Christian Folin /// 65 / 3-10=13 / +1 / 30 / 0 / 0 / 58 Finalized Tonight / 5.2% Torrey Mitchell /// 49 / 6-5=11 / -5 / 28 / 0 / 0 / 47 / The Los Angeles Kings, the Western Conference’s 12.8% #1 wild card, will open their 2018 /// 26 / 3-7=10 / -7 / 15 / 3 / 0 / 48 / campaign with playoff games against the Vegas 6.3% Golden Knights, the Pacific Division champions, on Kyle Clifford /// 50 / 6-4=10 / -4 / 48 / 0 / 0 / 81 / Wednesday April 11 and Friday, April 13 at T- 7.4% Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Andy Andreoff /// 45 / 3-6=9 / -6 / 50 / 0 / 0 / 47 / 6.4% The series will shift back to Staples Center in Los Oscar Fantenberg /// 27 / 2-7=9 / +1 / 11 / 0 / 0 / 33 Angeles for Games 3 and 4 on Sunday, April 15 and / 6.1% Tuesday, April 17. Michael Amadio /// 37 / 4-4=8 / -2 / 8 / 1 / 0 / 28 / 14.3% Game 1, Los Angeles at Vegas: Wednesday, April Michael Cammalleri /// 15 / 3-4=7 / +1 / 4 / 2 / 0 / 11, 7:00 p.m. 24 / 12.5% Game 2, Los Angeles at Vegas: Friday, April 13, Nate Thompson /// 26 / 1-5=6 / -1 / 10 / 0 / 0 / 25 / 7:00 or 7:30 p.m.^ 4.0% Game 3, Vegas at Los Angeles: Sunday, April 15, Tobias Rieder /// 20 / 4-2=6 / -1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 34 / 7:30 p.m. 11.8% Game 4, Vegas at Los Angeles: Tuesday, April 17, Jonny Brodzinski /// 35 / 4-2=6 / +4 / 6 / 0 / 0 / 53 / 7:00 or 7:30 p.m.^ 7.5% Game 5, Los Angeles at Vegas: Thursday, April 19, Jussi Jokinen /// 18 / 1-4=5 / 0 / 4 / 0 / 0 / 19 / 5.3% 7:00 or 7:30 p.m.* ^ Kurtis MacDermid /// 34 / 1-3=4 / -4 / 57 / 0 / 0 / 19 Game 6, Vegas at Los Angeles, Saturday, April 21, / 5.3% TBD* Paul LaDue /// 12 / 3-1=4 / +5 / 6 / 1 / 0 / 13 / Game 7, Los Angeles at Vegas, Monday, April 23, 23.1% TBD* Kevin Gravel /// 16 / 0-3=3 / -3 / 2 / 0 / 0 / 20 / *if necessary 0.0% ^based on whether Tampa Bay or Boston wins the Nic Dowd /// 16 / 0-1=1 / -3 / 12 / 0 / 0 / 11 / 0.0% Atlantic Division Daniel Brickley /// 1 / 0-1=1 / +1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0.0% Should Tampa Bay win the Atlantic, Games 2 and 5 Brooks Laich /// 12 / 0-1=1 / -5 / 6 / 0 / 0 / 10 / would start at 7:00, and Game 4 at 7:30. 0.0% Should Boston win the Atlantic, Games 2 and 5 Andrew Crescenzi /// 2 / 0-0=0 / 0 / 2 / 0 / 0 / 0 / would start at 7:30, and Game 4 at 7:00. 0.0% Justin Auger /// 2 / 0-0=0 / -1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 / 0.0% Boston hosts Florida at 4:30 p.m. PT this evening in a game that was originally scheduled for January 4 GOALIE /// GP (GS) / MIN / W-L-OT / GAA / but was postponed due to a snowstorm. A Bruins SV% / SO win in any fashion clinches the Atlantic Division, /// 64 (63) / 3678 / 33-28-3 / 2.40 / while a loss in any fashion clinches the Atlantic .921 / 5 Division for Tampa Bay. Darcy Kuemper /// 19 (15) / 1000 / 10-1-3 / 2.10 / .932 / 3 This is the first playoff series between Los Angeles Jack Campbell /// 5 (4) / 267 / 2-0-2 / 2.48 / .924 / 0 and Vegas. Since the switch to the divisional and wild card format for the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs,

the Kings have never finished in a wild card berth. snowballed, and after a – ahem – Jamie Benn In 2014, they finished with the #3 Pacific Division natural hat trick, the Kings trailed 4-0, and the seed and defeated the #2 seeded Sharks in seven probability of facing the Vegas Golden Knights games, and in 2016 they finished with the #2 Pacific climbed significantly. More on that in a moment. Division seed and were defeated by the #3 seeded Good for Anze Kopitar. Good for Dustin Brown. Sharks in five games. Beyond their championship springs, the 2017-18 season was the most statement-filled stretch of play Los Angeles is 111-140 all-time in the playoffs, in their careers. Good for John Stevens. There were going 62-58 at home and 49-82 on the road. significant and valid questions asked of this team, its current ceiling, its future, its prospect depth, its Game 1: 19-29 /// If won, have won 13 of 19 series ability to produce offense and its scoring depth and /// If lost, have won 8 of 29 series the direction of certain players in and around its Game 2: 21-27 /// If won, have won 15 of 21 series central core. So many of these questions were /// If lost, have won 6 of 27 series answered positively, a representation of the right Game 3: 19-26 /// If won, have won 13 of 19 series harmony struck between the coaching staff and a /// If lost, have won 7 of 26 series committed group of players that resulted in a 12- Game 4: 12-30 /// If won, have won 9 of 12 series jump in the standings. The Kings bested /// If lost, have won 10 of 30 series Bovada’s 89.5-point preseason line by 8.5 points, Game 5: 18-16 /// If won, have won 12 of 18 series even with Jeff Carter missing 55 games. Good for /// If lost, have won 6 of 16 series Adrian Kempe. Good for Drew Doughty, who had Game 6: 15-8 /// If won, have won 12 of 15 series one of his best seasons in the NHL and is a central /// If lost, have won 2 of 8 series figure in Norris Trophy balloting again. Good for Game 7: 7-4 Alex Iafallo, whose presence provided the lineup structure and balanced that allowed others to more The Kings have won 18 of 39 seven-game series comfortably etch out their role and find chemistry. and 14 of 31 series when their opponent has home Good for Jonathan Quick, the team’s first half MVP ice advantage in a seven-game series. In seven- whose early excellence provided a wider margin for game series, they are 22-21 when facing elimination error as his teammates found their games in the and 18-13 with a chance to clinch the series. season’s early stages. There’s no pinpointing one player or one singular event. The 2017-18 LA Broadcast details for the first round series will be Kings were far from a flawless bunch, but the right announced at a later time. The schedule will be amount of skill set-maximizing and lever-pulling finalized and confirmed after tonight’s Boston- came together to give the team an opportunity to Florida game. battle for home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. -Lead photo via Ethan Miller/Getty Images Since the team returned to the playoffs in 2009-10, only three of 14 playoff series opened at Staples Center. Good on the reformed front office to find April 8, 2018 the right mix of personnel while accentuating the By: Jon Rosen team culture in helping push them to this point. Waking Up With The Kings: April 8 There is work to be done yet.

Amidst the postseason speculation and scoreboard We all knew there would be a Los Angeles-Vegas watching and awards presentations Saturday night, rivalry even before the Golden Knights had signed, there was also a hockey game played that served as claimed or traded for one player. Well, it just so a final book end for an 82-game set of data. There happens that two of those signed-claimed-traded were several good shifts strung together by Los players on the Knights’ postseason roster are David Angeles to open the game, but once Devin Shore Perron and Ryan Reaves. Hello, James Neal! There picked Christian Folin’s pocket, the puck are a number of pot-stirrers on this Golden Knights management issues again raised their heads and team, several of whom were a part of the terrific

Kings-Blues rivalry earlier this decade and will have all been on that bus. Traveling overnight, in certainly get their noses dirty amidst the raised the dead of winter, sometimes over mountain stakes of Stanley Cup Playoff hockey. There’s also ranges, there has always been the understanding that William Karlsson, who scored 43 goals, and Erik the team would arrive safely thanks in such large Haula, who scored 29. They’ll face off against one part to the wonderful bus drivers, even despite the of the league’s premier center combinations in Anze dicey moments of provincial road and state highway Kopitar and Jeff Carter. There will be plenty of an travel. The Humboldt Broncos’ bus crash is the opportunity to preview this series in the coming worst nightmare of anyone who has stepped on that days, but from a broad, surface evaluation, I bus. There is also, in these times of great need and wouldn’t have had great hesitation picking Los suffering, an overwhelming response of kindness Angeles had the Kings been as healthy on defense and aid. Fred Rogers said, “When I was a boy and I as they were two weeks ago. But Jake Muzzin, who would see scary things in the news, my mother should play early in the series, won’t be 100%, and would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will it’s doubtful we’ll even see a vapor trail of Derek always find people who are helping.’” While we Forbort, who for three weeks or so had been playing can sometimes become cynical over 82 games, and the best hockey of his career when he was felled by prone to coarse disagreement and cracking wise – a lower-body injury. With the availability and and there’s nothing wrong with that – remember effectiveness of those players eliminated or that Glen Gulutzan and Todd McLellan are in reduced, the challenge presented by the Golden Saskatoon today visiting crash survivors and their Knights’ speed, puck retrieval and scoring depth is families. The hockey community, to this point, has heightened, and there will be an even greater raised nearly $3.5-million towards the families of emphasis placed on the team working connected in those who have been affected by this tragedy. five-man units, minimizing puck management Thank you to all those who supported the cause and miscues and playing with the lead. In other words, donated at last night’s game through the 50/50 raffle what would have been one of Los Angeles’ clear or by visiting the Go Fund Me page to support the advantages – the top-end, middle rung and overall Humboldt Broncos. Though there are so many one-through-six of the defensive group – is muted, different colored jerseys, the hockey community given the Kings’ injuries. The intangibles should will always be united as one in these most painful favor L.A. This is a championship-marked core moments. whose hard, defensive identity has heavily influenced the success it has forged in the postseason. Marc-Andre Fleury also deserves recognition here, but Jonathan Quick is associated with playing his best hockey when the games matter the most. All teams reset to 0-0-0 next week, so pay less heed to the Golden Knights’ 51-24-7 record (as well as the fact that they won half of their final 20 games of the season). This series probably goes long.

The last two days have been among the worst 48 hours in the history of hockey. Anyone you gaze at on the bench during a game – the players, the coaches, the trainers, the equipment managers –

FROM LAKINGS.COM

April 8, 2018 SCHEDULE: LA Kings-Golden Knights Round 1 Dates and Times Announced

The LA Kings' first round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Golden Knights begins on Wednesday, April 11 in Las Vegas at 7 p.m., the Kings and the NHL announced this evening. Buy Round 1 Tickets for LA Kings vs. Vegas Golden Knights Round 1 series schedule is as follows: Game 1: Wednesday, 4/11 at T-Mobile Arena, beginning at 7 p.m. Game 2: Friday, 4/13 at T-Mobile Arena, beginning at 7 p.m. Game 3: Sunday, 4/15 at STAPLES Center, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Game 4: Tuesday, 4/17 at STAPLES Center, beginning at 7:30 p.m. *Game 5: Thursday, 4/19 at T-Mobile Arena, beginning at 7 p.m. *Game 6: Saturday, 4/21 at STAPLES Center - game time TBD *Game 7: Monday, 4/23 at T-Mobile Arena - game time TBD *if necessary All Round One games will be broadcast on FOX Sports West/Prime Ticket, and will include special playoff editions of LA Kings live pre and post game shows. Here is the national and local TV schedule, per the NHL and FOX Sports West: Game 1 -- FS West, NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports Game 2 -- Prime Ticket, NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports Game 3 - FS West, NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports Game 4 - Prime Ticket, NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports Game 5 -- Prime Ticket Game 6 -- Prime Ticket Game 7 -- Prime Ticket Kings playoff games on the radio will be heard on flagship station KABC 790. Following Kings home playoff games, Kings Talk - the club's popular postgame radio call-in show on KABC Radio 790 - broadcasts live from Impact Sports Bar and Grill inside STAPLES Center. PLAYOFF TICKET INFORMATION: Single game tickets for the first three home games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 are on sale to the general public. Complete ticket information is available at LAKings.com/Playoffs and by calling 1-888- KINGS-LA. Private Event Suites and tickets for groups of 15 or more are also available for the first four home games of Round 1 at this time.

FROM LATIMES.COM April 8, 2018 By: Curtis Zupke A look at the first-round matchup between the Kings and the Vegas Golden Knights

Kings VS. Golden Knights

Kings versus Golden Knights sounds like a medieval affair. It will be ceremonial and historic simply with the first puck drop because it's the first playoff game for Vegas, the first modern-day expansion team to win its division in its inaugural season, against the two-time Stanley Cup champion Kings.

Disparate histories aside, they have similar styles with heavy-forechecking attacks that feed their offense. There's no better way to build a rivalry than a playoff series, and this should be quite a first-round joust.

Kings offense vs. Knights defense

The Kings shifted to a quicker game in the neutral and offensive zones, and the result was an improvement from 2.43 goals a game last season to 2.89. They've averaged nearly 3.10 goals per game since Jeff Carter returned from injury.

The Golden Knights ranked in the top third with 2.74 goals against per game. The defensive responsibility is spread out among half a dozen defensemen, including hard-nosed former Kings defender Brayden McNabb.

Kings defense vs. Knights offense

The Kings claimed the Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed and were tied for second in fewest five-on- five goals yielded. They have perhaps the NHL's best defensive forward in Anze Kopitar, best defender in Drew Doughty and one of the top goalies in Jonathan Quick.

Vegas features one of the best transition games in the league. They have six 20- scorers, led by William Karlsson's 43, although injured David Perron is a question mark. The Golden Knights were fourth in the NHL in five-on-five scoring.

Goalies

Returning from an injury-shortened season, Quick's had only one bad stretch in January and he has since been a foundation, with a 2.40 goals-against average and five shutouts in 64 appearances. He remains one of the best clutch goalies around.

Marc-Andre Fleury re-booted his career with Vegas and carries a 2.24 goals-against average and four shutouts into the postseason. He also has three Stanley Cup rings, with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Special teams

The Kings have owned the NHL's top penalty-killing unit almost all season, helped by blocker extraordinaire Alec Martinez and of course Quick. Their power play is led by Kopitar and the puck-deflecting Dustin Brown, who have combined for 16 man-advantage goals.

Vegas' power play finished 13th and is headed by Erik Haula's 12 goals. Its penalty killing is 10th. Karlsson has four short-handed goals.

Home ice

The Kings went 23-15-3 and were among the NHL leaders with 99 goals allowed on home ice. They've got the swagger of two Stanley Cups won at Staples Center, which takes on a big-stage feel this time of the season.

Vegas literally pumps it up at home. The sound system at T-Mobile Arena is deafening and contributes to a formidable surrounding that helped the Golden Knights go 29-10-2 at home.

April 8, 2018 By: Curtis Zupke Kings open playoffs Wednesday on the road against Vegas Golden Knights

The Kings will open the Stanley Cup playoffs on Wednesday against the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, followed by Game 2 there on Friday. Both games will start at 7 p.m.

The best-of-seven series shifts to Staples Center for Games 3 and 4 on April 15 and 17. The series follows an every-other-day schedule the rest of the way. If necessary, Games 5, 6 and 7 will be April 19, 21 and 23.

The Kings fell into the Western Conference's first wild-card spot following a 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars in the regular-season finale Saturday.

Vegas is the Pacific Division champion and No .2-seeded team in the conference in its inaugural season. Had the Kings won on Saturday, they would have faced the Ducks in the first round.

April 8, 2018 By: Curtis Zupke What we learned from the Kings' 4-2 loss to the Stars

The train ride that is the 82-game regular season finally rolled to a stop and left the Kings off in Las Vegas.

They went into Saturday with the possibility of home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs but ended up as the first wild-card team after a 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars at Staples Center.

The Kings will begin the first round against the Vegas Golden Knights, who claimed the Pacific Division title in their inaugural season. The fun begins next week, so let's take a look back and a look ahead.

Here's what we learned:

The starts are a concern

It's been a season-long issue. The Kings finished with a minus-27 goal differential in the first period this season after they fell into a 4-0 deficit against Dallas.

The last two regular season games, against the Minnesota Wild and Stars, haven't been ideal, and the Kings have said they don't want to be chasing games from behind in the postseason.

Kings coach John Stevens pointed out that their opening few minutes were fine before they disintegrated into giveaways that fed Dallas and star winger Jamie Benn.

"I think the biggest problem of the game tonight is that we had self-inflicted wounds," Stevens said.

Whatever matchup the Kings have is tough

Had they won Saturday, the Kings would have faced the Ducks in what would have been a bloodbath of an opening-round series.

Vegas is hardly a dropoff. A significant amount of the Golden Knights' success is the strength of their third and fourth lines, and they play a tight-checking, playoff-style game under coach Gerard Gallant.

"We need our whole team," Stevens said. "We can't go in there with two lines and expect to win."

The Kings lost the first two games against Vegas and won the second two, on a back-to-back set on Feb. 26-27, the last of which was one of their more complete games of the season.

"The last two games we played against them, back to back, we really showed how good we can play against them," Adrian Kempe said. "[For me] it's going to be really exciting to play in the playoffs for the first time, and I think a lot of guys on this team know what it takes to go all the way."

At least the Kings didn't sustain any more injuries

Stevens said he's not aware of any more injury issues, and that would be a victory in itself.

The Kings are already without Derek Forbort, Jake Muzzin and Alex Iafallo. Forbort has been ruled out for the start of the playoffs while Muzzin and Iafallo are trying to work their way back from upper-body injuries.

The last thing the Kings need is injury to their Big Three of Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick, so they can breathe easy in that respect with Game 82 in the books.

FROM DAILYNEWS.COM

April 7, 2018 By: Tom Hoffarth Play it Forward April 9-15: Kings, Ducks roll the dice to start NHL playoff season

Ranking the top 10 sports events April 9-15 you won’t want to miss: NO. 1: NHL PLAYOFFS WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS GAME 1: SHARKS at DUCKS Details/TV: At Honda Center, Thursday at 7:30 p.m., TV to be determined GAME 1: KINGS at GOLDEN KNIGHTS Details/TV: At T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Wednesday at 7 p.m., TV to be determined

Kings fans who now have an excuse to make a quick mid-week trip to Vegas for this playoff-opening series against the expansion Golden Knights may have to gamble on whether tickets will be readily accessible for either night.

After officially clinching a playoff spot back in late March, the Golden Knights announced something called a “Knights Vow” that gives its 14,000 full season ticket holders a reduced price for playoff tickets (long before the pairings were announced) but only if they forfeit their ability to sell their tickets on the secondary market. If the VGK season seat people opt out of this “Vow,” their savings “will not be as significant” as those who stick in the “the program.” Translation: A price-per-seat cost for Round 1 in the “Vow” plan might cost $100 in the regular season, but it’ll be $125 for the playoffs first round. If they don’t opt in, it’ll go for $175 – a 75 percent markup legal in Nevada on top of the already difficult to transfer Flash Seats ticket model on StubHub.

“We’re a destination city,” Vegas team president Kerry Bubolz told ESPN. “During the regular season, it was a big part of our event experience. But the Stanley Cup playoffs, that’s a different time. We want to do what we can to support the hockey side of our organization.

“At the end of the day, we’ll make less money with this strategy, but it’s all about what’s the best thing for our home-ice advantage.”

The Kings (45-29-8, 98 points) drop into the playoffs as a Western Conference wild card, splitting the four-game season series with the Golden Knight, but winning in back-to-back games 3-2 in overtime at home and 4-1 at Vegas on Feb. 26-27. Vegas, running away with the Pacific Division by posting a 51-24-7 record for 109 points, continues to expand on its expansion season. It expects a capacity 18,400 in a venue that has 17,367 set aside for hockey seats – the team was drawing 104 percent capacity, fourth-best in the NHL, because of standing-room- only tickets also sold.

The Ducks (44-25-13, 101 points, second in the Pacific) and Sharks (45-27-10, 100 points, third in the Pacific) come into the playoffs under different forms of momentum. The Ducks won their last five in a row and 10 of their last 12 – 9-4-1 in March and 4-0 in April as well. San Jose lost five of its last six games after spinning off an eight- game win streak between March 12-26. The Sharks won three of the four meetings against the Ducks, the last, a 3- 2 shootout at Anaheim on Feb. 11. The two teams last met in the playoffs in 2009, when the Ducks won that series four games to two.

In the 2-2-1-1-1 format, the Ducks host Game 2 (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.) before the series goes to San Jose for Games 3 and 4 the next week. The Kings are Las Vegas for Game 2 (Friday, 7 p.m.) before that series moves to Staples Center for Game 3 (Sunday, 7:30 p.m.).

Also: The AHL ends its regular season at Stockton (Wednesday, 7 p.m.), at Citizens Bank Arena vs. Stockton (Friday, 7 p.m.) and at Bakersfield (Saturday 7 p.m.).

April 7, 2018 By: Robert Morales LA Kings confident ahead of playoff series with Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas was the talk of the NHL all season. The Golden Knights won the Pacific Division with 109 points, in their inaugural campaign.

But they struggled a bit getting to the finish line of the regular season, going 6-5-2 in their final 13 games. They lost their last two. Included therein was a 7-1 drubbing Saturday at Calgary.

After Vegas defeated the Kings the first two times the teams met – 4-2 and 3-2 in overtime – the Kings won the last two on Feb. 26 at Staples Center and Feb. 27 at Vegas by respective scores of 3-2 in overtime and 4-1.

The teams will square off Wednesday night at 7 at T-Mobile in Las Vegas in Game 1 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. In sizing up the series, Kings coach John Stevens gave Vegas a lot of praise after the Kings’ 4-2 loss to Dallas on Saturday at Staples Center in a regular-season finale.

“We looked at the Pacific Division in general and there’s no easy matchups,” Stevens said. “We didn’t wish for anybody because every team has its own set of challenges. But Vegas has had an unbelievable year and they’re a team that’s extremely deep and they play fast.

“A lot like our building, they have a lot of energy in their building. They’ve been really good at home and they score lots of goals.”

Then again, Stevens reminded reporters that the Kings recently had the upper hand on the Golden Knights.

“It’s going to be a tough challenge, but I think the two games we had – the back-to-back not long ago – had a real playoff feel to them,” he said. “I think it’s a little bit of a reference point of what to expect in the playoff series.”

That’s the way Kings forward Adrian Kempe is looking at things.

“They’ve been really good this year,” he said of the Golden Knights. “And I think first two games we played them, I think they were the better team both games. But I think after that, last two games we played against them back-to-back, I think we really showed how good we can play against them.”

The Kings won Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014, and several of the players on this year’s team were part of those teams. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the Kings have a big advantage because Vegas is in its first season, Kings defenseman Alec Martinez said.

“I don’t know,” said Martinez, who played on the ’12 and ’14 title teams. “We got a lot of guys in here that this will be their first taste as well. And they’ve got a lot of guys over there, yeah, that’s their first season playing together. But there is still a lot of playoff experience.

“Just off the top of my head, I mean, obviously, James Neal has been to the final last year and (Marc-Andre) Fleury has won a couple of times the past few years. So I guess short answer, no, but there’s playoff experience and new guys playing in the playoffs on both sides. So, will it be a factor? I guess we’ll find out.”

Neal, a forward with 44 points this season, played with Nashville, which lost to Pittsburgh in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final. Fleury, the Golden Knights’ No. 1 goalie with a 2.24 goals-against-average, won back-to-back cups with Pittsburgh in ’16 and ’17.

Saturday’s loss notwithstanding, the Kings (45-29-8, 98 points) finished the regular season on a high note, going 6-2-2 over their final 10 games. Kempe, just 21, will be getting his first bite at the postseason apple. He can’t wait to get started.

“It’s going to be really exciting to play in the playoffs for the first time,” he said, “and I think a lot of guys on this team know what it takes to go all the way and that’s a good start.”

Forward and team Anze Kopitar led the Kings with a career-high 92 points (35 goals, 57 assists) this season. Top point man for Vegas is forward William Karlsson, with 78 points (43 goals, 35 assists).

April 7, 2018 L.A. Kings 2018 playoff schedule: First round vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights

Stanley Cup Playoffs, first round schedule for Vegas Golden Knights (P1) vs. Los Angeles Kings (WC1)

Wednesday, April 11, 7 pm: Kings @ Golden Knights

Friday, April 13, 7 pm: Kings @ Golden Knights

Sunday, April 15, 7:30 pm: Golden Knights @ Kings

Tuesday, April 17, 7:30 pm: Golden Knights @ Kings

*Thursday, April 19, 7 pm: Kings @ Golden Knights

*Saturday, April 21, TBD: Golden Knights @ Kings

*Monday, April 23, TBD: Kings @ Golden Knights

* if necessary

FROM NHL.COM

April 8, 2018 Kings will win Stanley Cup behind Kopitar, Doughty Core of past championship teams brings Los Angeles another title

The Los Angeles Kings will win the Stanley Cup because they know what it takes to do it. The Kings, who won the Cup in 2012 and 2014, have proven they can win a best-of-7 series against just about anyone.

Their key players from those two Cup runs -- forwards Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter, defenseman Drew Doughty, and goaltender Jonathan Quick -- are in place and playing well this season. Kopitar could be a finalist for the Hart Trophy and Doughty should be in the running for the Norris Trophy, and the two of them will combine to help the Kings bring home the ultimate prize. Having solid, playoff-tested players in every key position will carry the Kings through four rounds of the playoffs. The late-season return of Carter (lacerated ankle tendon) was not all that different from when he came to the Kings in a trade with the on Feb. 23, 2012 and led them to their first Cup. Carter is a proven playoff performer and has the knack of finding different ways to score. His presence will give the Kings enviable depth up the middle in the playoffs and take pressure off Kopitar. His 200-foot game was something they were missing when he was out of the lineup for 55 games this regular season and will help them in the postseason. If you count it all up, that's five core pieces firing on all cylinders, which will result in a third Cup title.

April 8, 2018 By: Nicholas J. Cotsonika Golden Knights vs. Kings playoff preview Vegas makes postseason debut; goalies Fleury, Quick have plenty of experience

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Los Angeles Kings Golden Knights: 51-24-7, 109 points, first in Pacific Kings: 45-29-8, 98 points, fourth in Pacific, second wild card Season series: VGK 2-1-1; LAK 2-1-1 The skinny Before the Vegas Golden Knights, the Los Angeles Kings ruled the Strip. The Kings played a preseason game outdoors against the New York Rangers at Caesars Palace in 1991. They played preseason games indoors at MGM Grand Garden Arena almost every year from 1997-2015 in the . They played two preseason games at T-Mobile Arena in 2016. Their logo was painted at center ice. They were the home team. "I'm sure once the [Vegas] team is settled in here, they're going to have to find some rival," Kings center Anze Kopitar said then. "It'll be interesting to see who they get. I think you've got to go through some playoff battles with a team to build that up." Well, here you go: The Golden Knights made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their inaugural season, and their first opponent will be the Kings, who missed the playoffs two out of the past three years after winning the Cup two out of the previous three. Vegas will have home-ice advantage at T-Mobile Arena, but the place should be rocking with fans from each teams, especially with Los Angeles a four-hour drive away. This will be speed vs. brawn, offense vs. defense. The Golden Knights' strengths are their skating and depth. They were one of the NHL's best offensive teams in the regular season, averaging 3.27 goals per game. The Kings are physical and were the NHL's best defensive team, averaging 2.46 goals against per game. "It's going to be a good matchup," Golden Knights forward said. "They have good players, a good team. We always have good battles against them. But I think we need to go in as a confident group as we are. I mean, if we play our game and don't worry about them, we'll be fine."

Game breaker Kings: Not only did Anze Kopitar rebound from a subpar season (52 points in 2016-17), he set career highs in goals (35), assists (57) and points (92), leading the Kings in scoring by a 31 points. A winner of the Selke Trophy (2016) as the NHL's best defensive forward, he plays in all situations and averaged 22:05 of ice time per game, most among forwards in the League.

Golden Knights: No one knew who Vegas' No. 1 center would be entering the season. William Karlssonseized the role by scoring 43 goals, 34 more than his NHL career high entering the season, and 78 points, 53 more than

his career high. He has to prove he can produce in the playoffs, though. Karlsson has three points (two goals, one assist) in five career postseason games.

X-factor Kings: Forward Adrian Kempe has the skill to make an impact offensively. He had 16 goals through his first 52 games this season, but had no goals in his final 28 games, and has no NHL playoff experience. Golden Knights: General manager George McPhee paid a high price to acquire forward Tomas Tatarfrom the Detroit Red Wings before the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline, giving up first-, second- and third-round picks. Tatar should be able to score. He has had as many as 29 goals in a season (2014-15). But he had four in 20 games with Vegas down the stretch, and he has three in 17 playoff games.

Goaltending Kings: Jonathan Quick has won the Stanley Cup twice with the Kings. He has a career .921 save percentage in the playoffs and had a .921 save percentage this season. But he struggled in his last playoff appearance, posting an .886 save percentage in five games against the in 2016. Golden Knights: Marc-Andre Fleury has won the Stanley Cup three times with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has a career .908 save percentage in the playoffs. But he had a .924 save percentage last postseason, when he carried the Penguins through the first two rounds, and he had a career-best .927 save percentage this season.

Numbers to know Kings: One of the reasons they were the top defensive team in the NHL is that they were the top penalty-killing team in the NHL at 85.0 percent. Golden Knights: They have good offensive depth, with six players who scored at least 20 goals this season. Los Angeles has three players who scored at least 20.

They said it "They're a good team. Every time we've played them this year, they've put up a good challenge, and up and down their lineup, they're pretty strong. It'll be a great test for us." -- Golden Knights forward "They're a team that carries a lot of speed, and I think you've got to just stay over the top. You've got to keep them in front of you. They like to make a lot of plays in the neutral zone. They generate a lot of their offense just off their defensive-zone play. I think their forwards, if they read that their [defensemen] are having success, they're not afraid to get going. They're a really good hockey club, and you've got to play a strong team game if you're going to keep their team speed in check." -- Kings defenseman Alec Martinez

Will win if … Kings: Their superstars shine. Kopitar is one of the best two-way centers in the game, if not the best. Drew Doughty is one of the best defensemen, if not the best. Each logs a lot of minutes and can take over a game, if not a series. Golden Knights: They play their style and don't get sucked into the Kings'. If they use their speed and depth, they can skate past Los Angeles and make matching up difficult.

How they look

Kings projected lineup Tanner Pearson -- Anze Kopitar -- Dustin Brown Tobias Rieder -- Jeff Carter -- Tyler Toffoli Kyle Clifford -- Adrian Kempe -- Trevor Lewis Nate Thompson -- Michael Amadio -- Torrey Mitchell Jake Muzzin -- Drew Doughty Alex Martinez -- Christian Folin Dion Phaneuf -- Paul LaDue Jonathan Quick Jack Campbell Scratched: Andy Andreoff, Oscar Fantenberg, Sheldon Rempal, Daniel Brickley Injured: Derek Forbort (lower body), Alex Iafallo (upper body)

Golden Knights projected lineup Jonathan Marchessault -- William Karlsson -- Reilly Smith David Perron -- Erik Haula -- James Neal Tomas Tatar -- Cody Eakin -- Alex Tuch Tomas Nosek -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -- Ryan Carpenter Nate Schmidt -- Brayden McNabb Shea Theodore -- Deryk Engelland Luca Sbisa -- Colin Miller Marc-Andre Fleury Malcom Subban Scratched: William Carrier, Brad Hunt, Oscar Lindberg, Jon Merrill, Ryan Reaves, Zach Whitecloud Injured: Luca Sbisa (undisclosed) Status report Perron did not play in the final six games because of an injury but was skating. ... Smith returned in the season finale after missing 15 games, and Marchessault returned after missing two. ... Schmidt sat out the last two games but is expected to be in the lineup for the start of the playoffs.

April 8, 2018 By: NHL PR McDavid, Ovechkin, Quick claim regular-season awards Oilers center wins Art Ross, Capitals wing gets Rocket Richard, Kings goalie awarded Jennings

NEW YORK -- The 2017-18 regular season concluded Sunday with Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid capturing his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy as the League's scoring champion, left wing Alex Ovechkin claiming his seventh career Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's goal-scoring leader and Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings winning his second career William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltender who plays at least 25 games for the club allowing the fewest goals. McDavid finished the season with a League-leading 108 points (41-67-108) in 82 games, besting center Claude Giroux (34-68-102 in 82 GP) and Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (39- 61-100 in 80 GP) for his second straight Art Ross Trophy. McDavid collected at least one point in 58 of his 82 appearances (70.7 percent), pacing the NHL with 32 multi-point performances and 14 three-point efforts. He also led the League with 84 even-strength points, 18 more than the next-closest player and the most by any NHLer since 1995-96. McDavid, who topped the League with 30-70-100 in 2016-17, became the first repeat winner of the Art Ross Trophy since Jaromir Jagr won four in a row from 1997-98 through 2000-01 (with Pittsburgh). At 21 years, 85 days, he also became the second player in NHL history to win multiple scoring titles prior to his 22nd birthday, joining (three times, also with Edmonton). Ovechkin scored a League-high 49 goals in 82 games, finishing ahead of Winnipeg Jets right wing (44 in 82 GP) and Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (43 in 82 GP) for his seventh career Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (also 2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16). He became the second player in NHL history to finish atop the League's goal-scoring race seven times, joining Bobby Hull (also seven times, all with Chicago). At 32 years, 203 days, Ovechkin also became the oldest player to win the NHL's goal-scoring title since Phil Esposito in 1974-75 (33 years, 45 days w/ BOS). Ovechkin recorded his 600th NHL goal March 12, requiring the fourth-fewest games to reach the milestone (990). His career average of 0.61 goals per game (607 in 1,003 GP) ranks fourth in League history (minimum 400 GP), behind only Mike Bossy (0.76), Mario Lemieux (0.75) and Pavel Bure (0.62). Quick saw the most action on a Kings team that allowed a League-low 203 goals, eight fewer than the Nashville Predators (211) and 11 clear of the Boston Bruins (214). He earned his second career William M. Jennings Trophy as well as the second in franchise history, adding to the one he claimed with Los Angeles in 2013 14 en route to winning the Stanley Cup. Quick appeared in 64 games, ranking in the top 10 among goaltenders in wins (9th; 33), goals-against average (10th; 2.40) and shutouts (t-4th; 5). The Milford, Conn., native finished the season seven victories shy of becoming the fifth U.S.-born goaltender to reach 300 NHL wins (293-195-56 in 556 GP).

FROM ESPN.COM

April 9, 2018 Roundtable: The goalies we trust the most -- and the least -- in the postseason

The Stanley Cup playoffs begin on Wednesday, and goalies will no doubt play a big role in which teams advance -- and which fall short. ESPN's NHL experts weigh in on the goaltenders who give teams the biggest net advantage, and who could be cause for concern in the crease.

Which goalies do you trust the most in the playoffs?

Greg Wyshynski, senior writer:Jonathan Quick has two Stanley Cups, a and a .921 career playoff save percentage. No, it didn't go all that well for Quick in his previous postseason with the Los Angeles Kings, but if I had one game I needed to win, Quick is one of the few goaltenders I would wager on to win it on his own. But the question isn't about making a gamble, it's about which goalie you trust. I trust that Quick could steal a game. Ultimately, I'd say I trust Matt Murray of the Pittsburgh Penguinsmost to not lose a game. He has allowed two goals or less in 21 of his 31 playoff starts. That includes back-to-back shutouts against the Nashville Predators en route to winning the Cup last season and giving up two or fewer scores in six of his last eight starts in winning the 2016 Cup.

Ben Arledge, Insider editor: I trust Rinne, John Gibson and Quick the most when it comes to this season's playoffs. Rinne has been on fire since the onset of last year's postseason. His surface-level stats are top-tier, but dive deeper and the numbers support his dominance even further. Posting a .939 even-strength save percentage and a .833 high-danger save percentage (eighth in the NHL, via Corsica Hockey), Rinne is the cream of the crop when it comes to goaltending this season. Gibson is right there too, registering a .927 even-strength save percentage this season in 60 starts. In 22 career playoff starts, he has an .842 high-danger save percentage, the best over the past four postseasons. Then there's Quick. He is notably one of the best active playoff goalies in the NHL (and perhaps the best), and to top it all off, he is producing his best statistical season in more than half a decade. Give me one of them, and I would feel pretty damn good.

April 8, 2018 By: Matthew Coller Ranking all 16 NHL playoff teams by their forwards

The best part of the NHL's opening round is that there isn't a single series that appears to be a walk in the park. Whether you are using the eye test or digging deep into the numbers, you can make a case for nearly every club to advance. One way to figure out which team might have a deep postseason run in them is by looking at their strengths and weaknesses by position.

We start with each team's forwards. Who has depth? Who has superstar talent that can carry them? Which players will make the biggest difference? Let's have a look...

All line stats are for 5-on-5, and via Corsica Hockey.

14. Los Angeles Kings Top line: Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Alex Iafallo Key stats: 653 minutes, 52.9 Corsi for percentage, plus-17 goal differential Dustin Brown's bounce-back campaign helped push the Kings back into the postseason as the veteran notched 61 points and played his highest ice time per game since 2012-13 (19:50). Brown's resurgence helped push Kopitar to a career-high 92 points. Even on teams that lack scoring depth, Kopitar has proven he can dominate round after round with his outstanding defensive play and scoring touch, but the Slovenian star will need to do a lot of work with Tyler Toffoli being the only player not on his line to score 20-plus goals this season. However, the return of Jeff Carter, who had 22 points in 27 games, could make L.A. a dangerous playoff team again.

April 8, 2018

By: Darren Rovell Fundraiser for families of Humboldt tragedy reaches goal of $4M in 45 hours

A fundraiser organized for the families of the Humboldt junior hockey team tragedy had a goal of raising $4 million.

It was reached in 45 hours.

"There are no words that could express the incredible support the hockey community has seen here," wrote Sylvie Kellington, a woman from Humboldt whose son played for the youth version of the team and who posted the fundraiser on the GoFundMe website on Friday night. "Almost 60,000 people from almost 60 countries around the world have heard our story and were moved to help."

According to the GoFundMe page, "Money will go directly to families to help with any expenses incurred."

Large donations came in from sports teams, including $20,000 from the Pittsburgh Penguins players, staff and foundation, $10,000 from the and a junior hockey team in Calgary called the Hitmen, $10,000 from the and $10,000 from the Chicago Blackhawks Alumni Association. Los Angeles Kings defensive Dion Phaneuf was also listed on the site as having donated $10,000.

In less than two days, the fundraising campaign is "the largest campaign to date in Canada and is now one of GoFundMe's top five largest campaigns globally," GoFundMe Canada spokesperson Rachel Hollis said.

The fundraising site, which has raised more than $5 billion to date, oversaw more than $11 million raised for the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas last year and nearly $8 million for victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando in 2016.

The Humboldt fundraiser had reached nearly $4.2 million as of 8:35pm ET Sunday.

Fifteen people died Friday when a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos crashed into a truck in Saskatchewan. Fourteen people were injured. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau flew to the hospital Sunday to visit the injured before heading to the city of Humboldt for a vigil.

FROM SPORTSNET.COM

April 8, 2018 2018 Stanley Cup Playoff Preview: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Los Angeles Kings

The Vegas Golden Knights’ inaugural playoff series will bring together two clubs on opposite paths—the expansion team heading into uncharted waters for its first-ever playoff experience, and the former champs, full of veterans with multiple Stanley Cup rings, looking to cap off their redemption effort with a return to the top of the post-season mountain.

That isn’t the only way this series brings together two opposing forces, however. It’ll also pit one of the season’s best offensive clubs against one of its best on the defensive side. Vegas finished fourth in the league in terms of goals scored, iced the 10th best power play, and averaged the ninth-most shots per game. How’s this

for an answer? The Los Angeles Kings allowed the fewest goals league-wide, have the season’s best penalty kill numbers, and averaged the eighth-fewest shots-against per game.

Their four meetings during the regular season suggest it isn’t quite that simple, though. Each side earned two wins and each got one of those in regulation and one in overtime. A dead heat. As well, both teams have thrived off of completely unexpected performances—William Karlsson’s 43 goals are more than double the total he posted over his previous three seasons combined, and Dustin Brown put up a career-best 61 points at age 33 after watching his numbers decline over the past half decade.

Does Vegas’ Cinderella story keep running to the second round? Or does the seemingly insurmountable number of playoff games under the belts of Los Angeles’ leaders help them navigate their way through Vegas?

ADVANCED STATS 5-on-5 via Corsica.Hockey Vegas: 50.96 CF% (12th), 52.78 GF% (9th), .922 SP% (17th), 8.38 SH% (6th), 100.57 PDO (10th)

Los Angeles: 50.05 CF% (16th), 52.98 GF% (8th), .931 SP% (4th), 7.80 SH% (14th), 101.88 PDO (9th)

POWER NUMBER Determined by percentiles created for a variety of statistics and weighed equally to give each team a grade out of 10 for offence and defence (seven for 5-on-5 and three for special teams). These numbers are then averaged to come up with a power number to measure a team’s all-around play.

TEAM STATS Vegas: 21.4 PP% (9th), 81.4 PK% (10th), 268 GF (5th), 225 GA (8th)

Los Angeles: 20.4 PP% (17th), 85.0 PK% (1st), 237 GF (16th), 202 GA (1st)

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD Vegas: 2-1-1

Los Angeles: 2-1-1

Vegas Golden Knights Outlook: It’s all gravy for the Golden Knights, who are easily the best expansion team to ever hit the ice. And within this roster there are plenty of great stories: from Will “Wild Bill” Karlsson‘s monster season, to Marc-Andre Fleury‘s quietly excellent numbers, to the goalies who filled in for him early in the season, to Jonathan Marchessault and Alex Tuch‘s offence and Deryk Engelland‘s leadership. The Golden Knights are far and away the best story in the NHL this season and their coach, Gerard Gallant, is a shoe-in for the Jack Adams Award, one year after being kicked to the curb in Florida.

Now the playoffs are here, though, and everyone is wondering how far this Cinderella journey can go. The Golden Knights remain one of the quickest puck-moving teams in the NHL with an excellent transition game, which could cause all sorts of problems for bigger, slower teams. On the other hand, those teams may be able to dominate Vegas in the corners and with the cycle.

Even though they won the Pacific Division and have securely been in a playoff spot since at least January, the Golden Knights are an enigma. As a first-year team, they should be easy first-round fodder—then again, by that logic they shouldn’t be in the playoffs at all. Vegas started the year on a tear and aren’t crawling into the

playoffs on the strength of their first half—the Golden Knights are 25-14-5 since Jan. 1, which is the ninth-best record in the league over that time.

A lot of their early-season success came from their play at home, where they lost just three of their first 21 games at T-Mobile Arena. And even though that rate has slowed (Vegas went 7-6-0 in their final 13 home games), their road play has improved. The Golden Knights are 12-6-4 on the road since Jan. 1, which helped keep them atop the division. They’ve adapted and kept up their high level of play all season—it may be hard to pick an expansion team to win a round or two in the post-season, but it’s even harder to bet against Vegas.

Los Angeles Kings Outlook: The club formerly known as the Corsi kings now have a new coach and a new style, one year removed from missing the playoffs. After leading in CF% five years in a row, Los Angeles has a more open style under coach John Stevens than they did under and his heavy, suffocating approach. This year, they’re 16th in that stat, but are scoring at a higher rate and nearly half a goal per game more than they averaged last season.

But make no mistake, this is still a heavy team. The Kings rank third in hits and 11th in penalty minutes, but are just getting more quality scoring chances than before. They have a shooting percentage of 9.4 that is higher than any other season in the past eight years.

Los Angeles is here because of a few bounceback seasons, tops among them being Anze Kopitar, who has scored 40 more points than he did a year ago. This has given life to Dustin Brown who had a career year—Tyler Toffoli also recovered from a down season and Jeff Carter returned from injury to score 13 times in his past 20 games.

At the same time, their team defence remains strong and Jonathan Quick is having his second-best season ever. The Kings have the lowest GAA in the league and the sixth-best goals for/against split across all situations. With just one playoff win since last winning the Stanley Cup in 2014, Los Angeles is back on track to try and regain the crown.

Golden Knights X-Factor: In 183 career NHL games coming into this season, William Karlsson had 18 goals. This season in Vegas, Karlsson scored 43 times. The easiest explanation for this explosion is that Karlsson has converted on 23.4 per cent of his shots, a huge jump from his career average of 7.7 coming into this season.

That is reason No. 1 on the list of why Karlsson is a candidate to regress next season, but for the Golden Knights to find continued success in the playoffs, his production can’t level off yet. Vegas’ leading goal-getter is showing no signs of slowing, either, scoring 16 goals in his final 29 games. There are other weapons here (Marchessault, David Perron, Reilly Smith, etc.) but Karlsson has been the main driver, and is key to their playoff push.

Kings X-Factor: From 2010-14, Jonathan Quick had the fifth-best playoff save percentage among goalies with at least 30 post-season games, a solid .923 mark that led the Kings to two Cups. In the first of those wins, Quick took home the Conn Smythe Trophy thanks to an incredible .946 mark, which still stands as the highest playoff save percentage on record.

It was a different story in 2016, the last time Los Angeles got this far. Quick struggled to an .886 mark and allowed 15 goals as the rival San Jose Sharks rolled over the Kings in five games. The 32-year-old American has made a name for himself as a playoff performer, but has to prove himself at this level all over again.

TEAM LEADERS (G-A-PTS) Vegas: William Karlsson (43-35-78), Jonathan Marchessault (27-48-75), David Perron (16-50-66)

Los Angeles: Anze Kopitar (35-57-92), Dustin Brown (28-33-61), Drew Doughty (10-50-60)

FROM THEHOCKEYWRITERS.COM

April 9, 2018 By: Jesse Weinstein Los Angeles Kings: The Foundation of Royalty

The Los Angeles Kings built a legacy that did not start until professional had been around for over six decades. Many people who follow their respective hockey teams may be able to cite starting rosters, prospects, team history, and recent play; however, how many people can cite when and where the birth of professional hockey took place? Perhaps a few. For those who cannot, professional hockey began in 1903-04, where the Portage Lake Hockey Club became the first organization to pay all of its players. Below, see the construction of the famous Amphidrome, where the first professional ice hockey team would eventually play.

According to cchockeyhistory.org, the iconic arena could pack in over 1,000 screaming fans; however, this is not an article about the Amphidrome; this is an article about the history of the Los Angeles Kings. Yet, very little could be said of the Kings’ history without paying credence to the birth of professional hockey because the Portage Lake Hockey Club established the foundation for which NHL history has been made.

Hockey Comes to Paradise

Currently, the Kings are playing in their 45th season as a professional hockey team. At THW, contributors not only report the latest hockey news, but also take pride in writing about history. This article speaks not about the Kings’ impressive current season, prospects, trades, or current events; rather it tells the story about where the team’s legacy began and how it has evolved over time. Please enjoy, courtesy of THW, a timeline of the Los Angeles Kings. A thank you in advance to kings..com for the supporting information.

The 1960s

On February 9, 1966, Jack Kent Cooke brought ice hockey to the beautiful beaches of southern California when he was awarded a professional hockey team. Having already owned the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, Cooke’s new ownership of the Kings brought an expansion to the NHL that helped double the total team count to twelve, from the Original Six teams. Cooke named the team the “Kings” because he wanted to bring forth an air of royalty. On October 14, 1967, the Kings played and won their first game at the Long Beach Arena against the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2. Cooke had quite a reputation in Hollywood, as he fully intended to glamorize and brand his new team. Most notably, and as a result of not having any “brand name” star players on his new team, Cooke insistently gave his players nicknames to make celebrities out of them. Without a “big name” player to carry the torch for the new franchise, Cooke set out to make celebrities of his players with clever nicknames, which he personally crafted. On to the Forum ice came Eddie “The Jet” Joyal, Eddie “The Entertainer” Shack, Bill “Cowboy” Flett, Juha “Whitey” Widing and Real “Frenchy” Lemieux to name a few. Finally, Cooke would change the course of

history of the Kings by building the Forum, or better known to Hollywood locals as “The Fabulous Forum,” where the team would play the next 32 seasons.

According to Kings.nhl.com, the Kings went on to finish their first season 31-33-10, one of the best records ever completed by an expansion team. The decades to come would bring many more stories of royal success to California as the Kings continued on their journey.

The 1970s

This decade would bring much more success to the Kings organization starting with the acquisition of future Hall of Famer . A seasoned veteran, Pulford not only brought a sense of leadership to the Kings’ locker room, but also infused a sense of legitimacy and respect to the team’s lineup. Over the years, the Kings have continued to honor Pulford and his impact on the team. After Pulford completed his final two seasons in the NHL with the Kings, he went on to coach the team through what will have been the most successful five seasons it had ever seen. Under Pulford’s first season as coach, the Kings posted a team best 42-17-21 record with all-star goalie Rogie Vachon and intense checking players such as Butch Goring, Mike Murphy and Bob Nevin. In 1977, the Kings made their first significant trade, acquiring superstar Marcel Dionne, who would go on to finish his career with 1,771 points in 1,348 games. Dionne brought major legitimacy to the organization and broke many records, including being the first forward to score 50 goals.

Ending a decade of success, Cooke would sell the Kings, Lakers, and “The Fabulous Forum” to Dr. Jerry Buss in 1979.

The 1980s

This decade would start out with the sizzling hot line trio of Dionne Marcel, , and Charlie Simmer. The NHL would later deem this trio “The Triple Crown” following their combined 328 point campaign in the 1979-80 season. In the 1980-81 season, the trio became the first line combination in NHL history where each member surpassed 100 points (Dionne-135, Taylor-112, Simmer-105). Later in the decade, the Kings brought in a host of young talent that would eventually contain a plethora of future legends. Bernie Nicholls, Larry Murphy, Jim Fox, Mark Hardy, Jay Wells, Bozek, Doug Smith, Brian MacLellan, Grant Ledyard and Garry Galley were among the favorites of Kings fans in the mid-1980s. Three talented youngsters represented the Kings on the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 1986-87 – Luc Robitaille, Jimmy Carson and Steve Duchesne. The Dionne era in Los Angeles ended when the Kings traded the center to the New York Rangers on March 10, 1987, and he went on to earn the ultimate honor in 1992 with his induction into the . His retired Kings jersey No. 16 rests on the south wall of STAPLES Center. In August of 1988, the Kings’ future would be forever changed when they acquired Wayne Gretzky, heavily regarded as the greatest hockey player of all time. [See Also: 1982 – The Miracle on Manchester] Gretzky set a team record with 168 points (54G, 114A) during the 1988-89 season and his first with the Kings. In the remaining two years in the decades, the Kings saw success qualifying for the playoffs and eclipsing 40 wins in both seasons (42 and 46 respectively).

The 1990s

This decade brought the Kings to their first ever Stanley Cup Final appearance during the 1992-93 season against the Montreal Canadiens. That season and under head coach Barry Melrose, the team continued to be underdogs in each round of the playoffs, which they eventually advanced. While that season marked history, California’s royalty did not see a championship after eventually falling to the Habs after five games. The Kings failed to attain the same intensity following their 1992-93 championship campaign, as their next three seasons were disappointing. Subsequently, the team changed owners out of bankruptcy, placing the title in the hands of Philip F. Anschutz and Edward P. Roski, Jr. The team entered into a “re-building” phase with their first move being the appointing of legendary King Dave Taylor to General Manager. Under Taylor, the STAPLES Center was built, and in 1999 it became the new home for the Kings. Additionally, the team acquired a new $24 million training facility () in El Segundo, CA. While the decade did not end in championship attainment, it was a major building transition for the team.

The 2000s

The Kings started out the decade with an impressive 92 point season, despite controversial roster moves including trading long-time captain and acquiring struggling goalie Felix Potvin. Despite the unpopularity of these changes, the team continued to turn heads that season making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Championship yet again. Most notable in these playoffs was the team’s comeback against the Red Wings in the first round. After being down two games to one, and trailing 3-0 in game four with eight minutes left in the third period, the Kings scored three unanswered goals. These efforts eventually led the team to a series victory against the Wings in game five. Nonetheless, the Kings would fall to the Avalanche in game 7 of the finals. In 2002-03, the team had a more disappointing season finishing with only 78 total points. Through 2005-06, the team continued to struggle despite maintaining a strong fan base. In 2006, the Kings made the new President/General manager. Under his tenure, the club has seen a number of major developments. During his first three seasons in office, Lombardi did not see his team qualify for the playoffs; however, he made many moves that again infused the club with a wealth of young talent. The first three seasons of the Lombardi-led Kings did not resulted in trips to the post-season but significant strides were made as the club stocked its system with promising young talent, especially on the blueline ( Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty to name two players) and in the net (highlighted by Jonathan Quick and ). At the forward position, the Kings feature several key players – Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Wayne Simmonds – who have yet to hit their prime, and veterans like Michal Handzus, Jarret Stoll, Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams. The next season brought the team its first playoff appearance since 2002. This decade would end in success again, as L.A.’s royal team had concocted a winning recipe.

The 2010s

The following section has been supplied by Kings writer Matt Karas. You can find more of his writing on our Kings Team page. From 2010 to today, the Kings have been one of the more successful franchises in the NHL. Their winning ways commenced during the 2011-12 season, when the upstart bunch went on a 15-4-3 run in March and April to squeak into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Led in regular season goals (25), assists (51) and points (76) by Kopitar, not much was expected in the playoffs from the youthful squad from the “City of Angels”.

Not only did the Kings defeat the top-seeded, Vancouver Canucks, in the first round, they utterly dismantled them in five games. Brimming with confidence, the silver & black then proceeded to annihilate the second- seeded, St.Louis Blues, in a four game sweep. They refused to lay off the gas in the Western Conference Final, where they lambasted their Division rival, the Phoenix Coyotes, in five games. In their first Stanley Cup Final since the Gretzky-led, 1992-93 team, the Kings accomplished what their predecessors were unable to do. Backstopped by eventual Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Quick, the Kings blew past the Peter DeBoer-led, , in six games. It was the franchise’s first ever Stanley Cup. The historic season marked the donning of a new era in Kings history. Laden with talented young stars like Kopitar, Quick and (Dustin) Brown, coupled with the ever-developing, fruitful partnership of and Jeff Carter, this was a team that was not going to be a “one trick pony”. They enjoyed the sweetness of drinking their favorite beverages out of Lord Stanley’s “Mug”, and were determined to have another round in the future. Riding the ultimate high of the preceding season, the Kings managed to secure a respectable fifth spot in the Western Conference and buccaneered their way into the Western Conference Final. Unfortunately, the were ousted by the soon-to-be successor to their throne, the Chicago Blackhawks, in five games. Despite having a sour taste in their mouth from not being able to repeat as champions, the Kings managed yet another respectable regular season in 2013-14; finishing with 100 points and slotting in as the number six seed in the Western Conference. Much like their Stanley Cup year, the team was lead in goals (29), assists (41) and points (70) by budding superstar, Kopitar. The team decided to bolster their lineup with the addition of prolific forward, Marian Gaborik, from the Columbus Blue Jackets. To say that their imminent playoff run would be a grind would quite the understatement. The Kings were pushed to their limits in seven game series victories over the San Jose Sharks, , and, newly formed rival, the Blackhawks. The final challenge was to defeat the New York Rangers, who had not been in the Stanley Cup Final since winning it back in 1994-95. Challenge accepted. The Kings throttled the Rangers in five games to take home their second Stanley Cup in three years. Although the Kings have not hoisted the Stanley Cup since the 2014 playoff run, they have been a perennial threat. With the incumbent core still very much intact, coupled with youngsters like Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson flourishing, and a minor-league system stocked with talent, the Kings have been the epitome of successful. That does not look like it is going to change anytime soon. Needless to say, Jack Kent Cooke would likely be very proud.