Kings rode Kopitar's resurgence, Quick's goaltending to playoffs

The Los Angeles Kings clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh time in nine seasons when the St. Louis Blues lost 4-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.
Center Anze Kopitar's resurgence and having goaltender Jonathan Quick healthy again were among the major reasons the Kings returned to the playoffs after failing to qualify last season.

Los Angeles (44-28-8, 96 points) has two games remaining; they host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday and the Dallas Stars on Saturday. There still is plenty on the line, namely home-ice advantage in the Western Conference First Round.

The fourth-place Kings, who hold the first wild card from the Western Conference, trail the second-place San Jose Sharks by two points in the Pacific Division. They are one point behind the third-place Anaheim Ducks. All three teams have two games remaining.
Here are five reasons the Kings clinched a playoff berth

1. K opitar's resurgence

Kopitar is having a career season in goals (35), assists (56) and points (91) at age 30, and he's doing it after having his worst offensive season in the NHL; in 2016-17, he had 52 points (12 goals, 40 assists) in 76 games.
Kopitar has 32 more points than the Kings' second-leading scorer, defenseman Drew Doughty, a Norris Trophy contender, who has 59 points (10 goals, 49 assists). He has seen more ice time (1,763:32) than any other forward in the NHL this season, and has logged 177:15 while shorthanded, 12th in the League.
"I think he's exceeded most people's expectations," forward Dustin Brown said, "and he's taken it to another level this year."

2. Goaltending

With goaltender Jonathan Quick healthy again, the Kings are closing in their second William M. Jennings Trophy; the other came in 2013-14. The Jennings goes to "the goalkeeper(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it." Los Angeles has allowed 195 goals in 80 games; the Boston Bruins are next with 205 allowed in 79 games.
"It seems like every year we're in the mix for that," Quick said. "It's definitely because of our commitment in our own end and what guys are willing to do try to help."
Quick was injured in the first period of the 2016-17 season-opener at San Jose and was limited to 17 starts. Having him available for a full season has made a substantial difference; he is 32-27-3 with a 2.34 goals-against average, .924 save percentage and five shutouts. Quick is ninth in the League in wins, eighth in GAA, and 10th in save percentage.

3. Brown's revival

Dustin's Brown's renaissance, going from bottom-six forward back to an essential piece, was one of the feel-good stories in the League.
Brown had 18 points in his first 19 games, and he's continued to produce offensively. He's third behind Kopitar and Doughty on the Kings in scoring with 57 points (24 goals, 33 assists) in 79 games. It's his best offensive season since 2010-11, when he also had 57 points (28 goals, 29 assists). His NHL career highs are 33 goals and 60 points, set in 2007-08.
Brown's plus-minus numbers have also jumped, from minus-4 in 2016-17 to plus-31 (fourth in the NHL) this season.

4. Phaneuf trade

The Kings have five players averaging more than 20 minutes a game, but they've lost two of them -- defensemen Jake Muzzin (upper body) and Derek Forbort (lower body) -- to injuries in the past 10 days.
That's where the acquisition of defenseman Dion Phaneuf has come in handy.
The Kings acquired Phaneuf and forward Nate Thompson on Feb. 14 from the Ottawa Senators in a trade for forwards Marian Gaborik and Nicholas Shore. They needed someone who could play big minutes on defense and supply leadership, and they were able to trade two forwards who weren't part of their future to get Phaneuf. He has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 24 games and has averaged 19:15 of ice time while skating mostly on the second defense pairing.

5. Penalty killing

The penalty-killers have been superb for most of the season. Los Angles was No. 1 in the NHL at the All-Star break (85.9 percent) and enters the final days of the season ranked second at 84.9 percent; the San Jose Sharks are No. 1 at 85.1 percent.
The Kings have allowed 39 power-play goals in 80 games; only the Sharks (33) have allowed fewer.