Vancouver hasn’t had a whole lot of success against the Los Angeles Kings this season, but with Saturday’s clash serving as a potential first-round playoff matchup, the Canucks are in need of a momentum-building victory.
With the start of the postseason just two weeks away, the Pacific Division-leading Canucks (47-21-8, 102 points) are trying to avoid losing three of four against the Kings (40-25-11, 91 points) this season.
The Canucks have already booked a playoff spot after missing out in seven of the previous eight seasons, but have hit a rough patch in their bid to clinch the division title.
They have lost three of their past five games as they wrap up a three-game road trip in Southern California. Both wins, against the Arizona Coyotes and the Anaheim Ducks, came on tiebreaking goals late in the third period.
Vancouver led the Edmonton Oilers by seven points for first place in the Pacific Division entering Edmonton’s game Friday against Colorado.
The Canucks have won the division just nine times in their 54-year history.
Conor Garland scored a tiebreaking goal with just under two minutes left in the third period as the Canucks claimed a 2-1 victory over the Coyotes on Wednesday.
Canucks captain Quinn Hughes had one goal and one assist against the Coyotes in the victory, while goaltender Arturs Silovs made 20 saves.
As overtime loomed, Hughes eluded a check before getting to the top of the left circle and fired a shot off the back boards. Garland pounced on the loose puck and netted his 16th goal of the season with 1:51 remaining.
“Not an easy game,” Hughes said. “We had a couple of power plays in the second period that got us going.”
Hughes, who is a candidate for the Norris Trophy (top defenseman), is putting an exclamation mark on the best season of his career.
The team captain has three goals in the past two games. On Wednesday he became just the second player in franchise history, joining Henrik Sedin, to reach the 70 assist mark.
“He is trying to take some responsibility when things don’t go well for us,” coach Rick Tocchet said of Hughes. “He is managing the game well. When the play he wanted wasn’t there he just moved the puck along.”
This is the final game of four between the teams this season with the Kings holding a 2-1 edge. Los Angeles rolled to a 5-1 win on Feb. 29 and a 3-2 win less than two weeks ago. The Canucks took a 2-1 decision in early March.
The Kings have won two straight, including a 2-1 victory over San Jose on Thursday as they play a favorable schedule to close out the regular season.
The Canucks are the only playoff-bound team they face in their final six games, and Los Angeles needs a win in at least three of those to clinch a playoff spot.
The victory over the Sharks pulled the Kings within a point of the Nashville Predators for the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. It also gave them a seven-point cushion over the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card.
“In the end, all anybody cares about tomorrow is, did you get the two points or didn’t you?” interim coach Jim Hiller said. “So, we’ll take the two points. We’ll leave this one behind. We’ll have a rest tomorrow and then we’ll work on the next two points.”
–Field Level Media
