March 31, 2017
The Kings kept their slim playoff hopes alive on Friday night in Vancouver, as they defeated the Canucks 2-0.
Jarome Iginla continued his hot streak, scoring the 625th goal of his career, while Jonathan Quick made 35 saves for LA for his 2nd shutout of the season.
Tyler Toffoli also scored for the Kings, who are now 8 points behind Nashville for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Both teams have just five games left to play. That 2nd wild card spot is the only playoff spot remaining in the West, as 7 other West teams have clinched berths in this year’s postseason.
The Kings would need to go 5-0, while the Predators would have to go 1-4 for LA to pass them in the standings. Any combination of Nashville wins and Kings losses that total two will put the Predators in the postseason.
It was the 10th time this season the Canucks had been shutout, after they had been eliminated from postseason contention last week.
Iginla’s goal midway through the 2nd period put the Kings on the board, and proved to be the game-winner. The 40-year-old redirected a shot from Alec Martinez past Canucks goalie Ryan Miller. The goal tied Iginla with Joe Sakic for 15th on the all-time NHL list.
Tyler Toffoli would extend the lead to 2-0 four minutes later. The goal was Toffoli’s 15th of the season, and came on a shot from the right circle, which finished off a 3-on-2 rush.
The Kings will now return to Staples Center for a four game homestand. The first will be Sunday against Arizona. Nashville on the other hand will have three of its final five games on the road, but two of those are against teams that aren’t in the playoffs.
“We’re not going to give up,” Jerome Iginla said. “We’ve got to make sure that we do our part. In one week things can happen. Teams can go cold. It happens. We’ve just got to focus on ourselves. So nobody’s quitting.”