Kings clinch playoff berth led by Kopitar, Kempe

The Los Angeles Kings clinched a berth in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Vegas Golden Knights lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.

The Kings qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2018, when they were swept by the Golden Knights in the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round. They have not won a postseason series since a five-game victory against the New York Rangers in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final to win their second NHL championship in three seasons.
Los Angeles (43-27-10) went 6-7-3 in the first 16 games after defenseman Drew Doughty sustained a season-ending wrist injury against the Boston Bruins on March 7 but regrouped to win five of its next six, including four in a row to secure a postseason berth.
The Kings have returned to the playoffs with a balanced offensive attack, structured defensive play, key contributions from maturing rookies and solid play from goalies Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen.
Forward Anze Kopitar, who has 66 points (19 goals, 47 assists) in 80 games, is in position to lead the Kings in points for the fifth straight season. Forward Adrian Kempe leads Los Angeles with an NHL career-high 34 goals and has scored a career-best 53 points. In his first season after signing with the Kings as an unrestricted free agent, forward Phillip Danault set an NHL career-high with 26 goals and his 50 points are three off his career-best of 53 for the Montreal Canadiens in 2018-19.
Trevor Moore has also set NHL career-highs with 16 goals, 31 assists and 47 points and Viktor Arvidsson has had a strong season after being acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators on July 1, 2021 with 20 goals, his most since scoring an NHL career-high 34 in 2018-19.
Defenseman Sean Durzi, who has 27 points (three goals, 24 assists) in 62 games, is among rookies who have contributed with forwards Arthur Kaliyev (27 points; 14 goals, 13 assists in 78 games), Rasmus Kupari (12 points; five goals, seven assists in 55 games), and Quinton Byfield (10 points; five goals, five assists in 38 games).

Quick has turned back the clock in his 15th NHL season (22-13-9, 2.58 goals-against average, .909 save percentage, two shutouts) to team with Petersen (20-14-1, 2.90 GAA, .895 save percentage, three shutouts).
With Doughty out following surgery April 11 and defenseman Mikey Anderson also sidelined with an upper-body injury, the Kings added to their depth at the position before the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline by acquiring Troy Stecher in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings.
Here is a look at the Kings' path to a playoff berth:
Most Valuable Player:Kopitar leads Los Angeles with 66 points, 47 assists, 22 power-play points, 1,492 face-offs and a 57.2 percent winning percentage on face-offs (minimum 20 taken). The Kings captain also leads Los Angeles forwards (at least 10 games played) by averaging 20:46 in ice time, 3:19 in power-play ice time and 1:44 in shorthanded ice time.
Unsung Hero: Durzi has stepped up with Doughy out. After having 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) and averaging 17:36 of ice time in 40 games before Doughty was injured, the 23-year-old has 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) and has averaged a team-high 23:12 of ice time in 22 games. That includes seven power-play points (one goal, six assists) and 3:21 in power-play ice time per game after scoring eight power-play points (one goal, seven assists) and averaging 1:58 on the power play prior to Doughty's injury.
Memorable Moment:Quick celebrated playing his 700th NHL game by making 30 saves and allowing one goal in a five-round shootout in a 3-2 victory against the Florida Panthers on March 13. Playing without forward Dustin Brown (upper body), Arvidsson (lower body), Doughty and Anderson, Los Angeles rallied from down 2-1 in the third period to end Florida's five-game winning streak after forward Martin Frk scored the tying goal with 32 seconds remaining.
Key Number:6.6. The Kings are second in the NHL allowing 28.4 shots on goal per game and tied for fourth taking 35.0 shots on goal per game. That plus-6.6 differential is fourth in the NHL and one of the reasons for their success, helping them keep pressure off their defensemen and goalies. Los Angeles is 34-15-8 when outshooting opponents, 8-10-1 when outshot and 1-2-1 when even.
Question Mark: Defenseman will be a focal point without Doughty, and with Anderson's status uncertain. In their absence, Los Angeles has shown faith in Durzi and fellow rookies Jordan Spence (averaging 19:39 of ice time in 22 games since making his NHL debut March 10) and Jacob Moverare (16:11 in 15 games since Doughty was injured). The Kings will also rely on veterans Matt Roy, Olli Matta, Alexander Edler and Stecher, plus Tobias Bjornfot, a 21-year-old in his third NHL season.
Reason Kings Can Win It All: If Quick gets hot and the young players take another step in the playoffs, they could go on run. Quick, Kopitar and Brown remain cornerstone pieces from the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup championship teams. Maatta (won the Cup with Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017), Danault (reached Stanley Cup Final with Canadiens last season), Arvidsson (Cup Final with Predators in 2017) and Edler (Cup Final with Vancouver Canucks in 2011) also have extensive playoff experience.