Kings Clinch Playoff Birth With Win Over Bruins

Hello 2016 playoffs! Thanks to the Tampa Bay Lightning beating the Arizona Coyotes and your mighty and glorious Kings of Los Angeles beating the Boston Bruins, the Kings are officially the second team in the NHL to clinch a playoff position. That’s right – it is now statistically impossible for the Kings to be knocked out of contention. Happy dances all around!!!

Onto the game that made this all possible (and of course a shoutout to the many games before this). As always the Kings began by outshooting their opponent – 12-4 at one point. But it was clearly quantity not quality because they were hardly great chances and Tuukka Rask was up to the task. The Bruins made a couple of bad turnovers that lead to Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter bids respectively, but of course nothing going. Another great sequence involved a Bruin breaking his stick and a couple of shifts rotating out before the Bruins could clear saw Jake Muzzin, Tyler Toffoli and Nick Shore all getting looks too. With 15 minutes gone in the first tensions started escalating; a few scuffles after the whistle began and at 17:01 Dwight King and Adam McQuaid each getting 5 for fighting. As far as fights go, they made it worth it. Jedi Quick made a spectacular toe save that had the crowd roaring, moving across his crease with the speed of a jaguar.

Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask covers up the puck while Los Angeles Kings center Jeff Carter, left, tries to find the rebound during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Tanner Pearson tallied the first goal with 59 seconds remaining in the first period, right after Rask had a trainer out to look at him for a potential injury. Luke Schenn slipped the puck to him close to the blue line and he spun, twisted his stick around and got a shot off spun past Rask, largely in part to a Dustin Brown screen. It ended the first on a great note and continued early in the second with a goal from Alec Martinez 2:40 into it. It was just the shot Jazz Hands is now known for – a blast from the blue line that sailed past Rask. That essentially ended the streak of good play from the Kings, as the Bruins took over the second and really the third period. It began around 5:46 when Tyler Randell capitalized on a rare Anze Kopitar turnover, getting past a largely crowded crease and through to the back of the net. A Kings power play 11 seconds later did little to help them gain it back, actually allowing more shorthanded chances than power play chances. The Bruins gained momentum, eventually tying the shots on goal by the end of the second. Penalties from Jake Muzzin and Vincent Lecavalier didn’t help matters. Muzzin’s first penalty was contested; he fell over himself and either in an effort to get up or just because he made a stupid play right in front of the ref, he closed his hand over the puck.

Los Angeles Kings right wing Kris Versteeg slides into the boards with an injury before being helped off the ice against the Boston Bruins during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Lecavalier’s penalty carried into the 3rd period for 1:26. Moments after it ended Kris Versteeg slammed into the boards and had a hard time getting up. He had to be shoved over the boards and helped down the tunnel, and did not return for the rest of the game. At 5:29 Muzzin was awarded another penalty, but if what he did was tripping then the word needs to be redefined. At 8:24 the parade of penalties continued, with Dwight King for tripping. Yeah that one was actually tripping, but the Kings managed to kill that off too, with large part due to Jonathan Quick, who deftly earned his first star of the game. The Kings had 1 shot on goal in the third with 6:01 remaining so you can imagine how he was being peppered at the other end of the ice. With 15:53 remaining the Kings got a power play but still could only notch 2 shots on goal the entire period. The Bruins completely outplayed the Kings but couldn’t get past Quick. With less than 2 minutes remaining they pulled Rask; the Kings had a few chances to seal the empty net deal (including a Dustin Brown chance that he turned over badly to the Bruins and will definitely not go on his highlight reel) but couldn’t. With 46 seconds remaining they iced the puck and called a timeout. The last puck drop was with 10 seconds remaining; the Kings miraculously managed to hold onto their lead (miraculously: read Quickie), officially clinching their playoff spot. They play now to maintain their Divisional Title.

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