LA Kings Clinch Third Consecutive Stanley Cup Playoffs Berth

The LA Kings have clinched a playoff berth for the third straight season, officially locking them into the field of 16 teams that will compete for the Stanley Cup.

The Kings solidified their playoff participation with a win tonight over the Calgary Flames.

The Kings had three opportunities to clinch over the last handful of days, but the St. Louis Blues winning yesterday required the moment to wait another 24 hours. The Kings did not do themselves any favors on Tuesday in Anaheim, when a win would have gotten them in, and they didn’t get the necessary combination of results needed to secure their playoff berth on Sunday, following Minnesota’s win over Chicago. With tonight’s win, the Kings now have 95 points in the standings, which is the maximum point total St. Louis can achieve by winning out. LA holds the first tiebreaker over the Blues, which solidifies their spot in the postseason.

With today’s result, the Kings currently sit three points clear of Vegas in the Pacific Division standings, with Vegas holding one game in hand. The LA – Vegas battle could go down to the wire this season. By the SOS percentages, per Tankathon, both teams have similar schedules, sorted strictly by opposing winning percentage. The Kings’ remaining schedule has a points percentage of .406 while Vegas’ sits at .470. We can forecast potential matchups all day, but with the Kings and Golden Knights so tight, and the Kings also tied with Nashville in the wild-card race, it’s a day-by-day situation. Scoreboard watching galore, but don’t book those flights anywhere just yet. Of note, the Kings have 36 regulation wins this season, which is the first playoff tiebreaker should the teams tie on points. Vegas has 32, while Nashville has 36.

Realistically, the Kings will most likely face one of three different opponents in the first round of the playoffs. Vancouver or Edmonton from the Pacific Division, or Dallas from the Central. Per MoneyPuck.com, the Kings currently have their greatest odds of finishing third in the Pacific, at 71 percent. That would mean either Edmonton or Vancouver in Round 1, with the Oilers, who are greater than 70 percent for the second seed, the most likely opponent. The flip side of that is nearly a 29 percent chance the Kings would be a wild card team, with WC2 mathematically more likely than WC1. As of today, WC1 would face the Pacific Division champion, while WC2 would face the Central Division champion and it’s hard to see that changing.

Per PlayoffStatus.com, entering tonight’s game, Edmonton (56%) is the most likely opponent, followed by Vancouver (29%) and Dallas (15%). Colorado, Winnipeg and Vegas are all below a one-percent chance, though mathematically possible. We’ll let the games play out, as we know the Kings are in and we’ll see where they’re headed for Game 1.

One thing that we do know for today is – Playoff Tickets Are Available.

Ways to Purchase Playoff Tickets:
Season Ticket Memberships for the 2024-25 season are on sale now. Secure the best prices and seats for the playoffs by joining today! Visit lakings.com/memberships for more info.

Single game tickets for the playoffs are now available. Visit lakings.com/playoffs to purchase.

Fans interested in staying in the know about the playoff schedule, watch parties, contests and other news surrounding the 2024 LA Kings Playoffs can visit lakings.com/playoffs to sign up for email communications or check back frequently for updates.

In terms of potential scheduling, the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs are scheduled to begin across the NHL on Saturday, April 20. That marks the first possible day that the Kings could play in the postseason. The regular season ends for LA on Thursday, April 18 at home versus Chicago. That would leave just one day in between that game and the first game of the postseason, so for the Kings, opening on April 21 or April 22 is a more likely scenario. The series will follow a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the higher-seeded team hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 and the lower-seeded team hosting Games 3, 4 and 6. The Kings will most likely be the lower-seeded team in the first round. Last season, the formal schedule dropped the day following the regular season, along with start times and television broadcast details, as available.

From the team’s formal release –

The LA Kings have officially clinched a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs following a victory over the Calgary Flames.

The Kings, with a 42-26-11 record and 95 points through 79 games this season, became the seventh team in the Western Conference and 13th team in the NHL to secure their place in the postseason. The 2024 postseason appearance marks the team’s third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and 33rd qualification in franchise history.

In total, 14 players from last year’s Kings playoff roster return, including the team’s leading playoff scorer Adrian Kempe (5-3=8; 6GP), who has eclipsed the 70-point mark (27-45=72) this season for the first time in his career. Also returning is this year’s leading goal scorer Trevor Moore, who became the first California-born skater (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) to record a 30-goal season (30-25=55) for a California-based team.

It is the first time the Kings have reached the playoffs in three consecutive seasons since qualifying five years in a row from 2010-14, during which time Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Trevor Lewis helped the Kings capture the first two Stanley Cups (2012, 2014) in franchise history.

The Kings first round opponent, schedule, and broadcast calendar are to be determined and will be announced once they have been finalized.

Kings have a scheduled team day off tomorrow. Three games remaining and we’ll take a look at how the team plans to manage those games, with only potential seeding left to play for, in the coming days.