The Los Angeles Kings died as they lived: not scoring.
There will be plenty of words to spill about the 2016-17 Los Angeles Kings. Most of the ones which apply after this game have already been written, though. Tonight, in a must-win against the second-worst team in the NHL, LA’s only goal came on a dump-in attempt. LA peppered Mike Smith down the stretch, got six power plays, doubled up the Arizona Coyotes on shots AND shot attempts, and lost 2-1. And that’s the way it was.
With the Kings’ loss, the Nashville Predators clinched the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Kings will play four more games in the next week, and that will be that. Hang in there, everybody.