Kings 3, Phoenix 2, shootout.
Of the many questions they have faced this season, the Kings answered the biggest of them all on Wednesday: They will participate in the playoffs.
A dominant victory over a possible first-round playoff opponent would have been a nice luxury. A 3-2 shootout win, in which Jonathan Quick stopped two out of the three shooters and Michal Handzus and Jarret Stoll beat Ilya Bryzgalov, got the job done.
The Kings moved into fourth place in a still-tight Western Conference playoff race, and have the inside track on home-ice advantage for the first round. Stoll also scored in regulation off a terrific Dustin Brown set-up, and Kyle Clifford scored off a terrific Wayne Simmonds set-up.
The Kings finished 3-3 against the Coyotes in the regular season, winning the last two.
Here are a few more notes that won't make tomorrow's editions:
he Kings now have 46 wins, tying a club record (1990-91 and 2009-10)
· Jonathan Quick is now 10-0 in shootouts this season (22-7 lifetime)
· Jarret Stoll is 9-for-10 in shootouts this season
· Stoll also scored his 20th goal of the season giving the Kings six 20-goal scorers
· The last time the Kings had six 20-goal scorers was 1992-93 (Donnelly, Granato, Kurri, Millen, Robitaille and Sandstrom)
· The Kings have won five straight at home
· The Kings now have 25 home wins, one shy of the team record (26 in 1990-91 and 2005-06)
· Dustin Brown: 8 hits, $400 for Children's Hospital L.A.
· The Kings are 22-8-6 in one-goal games this season
· The 98 points is the fifth most in club history
· Through 80 games last season the Kings were 45-27-8 = 98 pts
· The Kings need one more win to clinch at least the sixth seed in the Western Conference (or one more regulation loss by Anaheim and Chicago)
· The Kings had their 34th sellout of the season and 17th straight tonight
About the bloggers
J.P. Hoornstra writes about NHL and ECHL hockey for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. He welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey. E-mail J.P. at jp.hoornstra@inland
newspapers.com.
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