Flames can clinch playoffs vs. Kings (Mar 29, 2017)
CALGARY, Alberta -- Both teams know what's at stake.
All the Calgary Flames (43-29-4) need to do is beat the Los Angeles Kings at home on Wednesday to clinch an NHL playoff berth after a one-year absence.
"We've put ourselves in a good spot," Calgary captain Mark Giordano said Tuesday, a day after the Flames beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. "We have to take care of business. It's a good feeling and we're going to have a lot of energy and excitement."
The Kings (35-33-7), who dropped a 2-1 road decision to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, need to win just to keep their slim postseason hopes alive.
"Not the situation we wanted to be in, that's for sure," Kings center Jeff Carter said. "You get to this time of the year, you want to be locking up spots and getting ready for a big push. Like I said, a little different, but we'll keep fighting until the end."
Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan said he expects nothing less than a solid effort from the Kings, who have lost two games in a row.
"I know how good a team they are," Gulutzan said. "They're fighting for their lives and those teams are very hard to play, and I expect the best of the L.A. Kings to come into our building."
Two seasons ago, the Flames beat the Kings 3-1 at home on April 9, to qualify for postseason play for the first time since 2009.
"We're going to be playing a desperate team, which is the same case," Flames center Matt Stajan told the team website. "The difference is we're in a better spot and we still have a chance to try to sneak in and get some home ice and position ourselves a little better. It's a totally different season in a lot of ways and we have a different team, but the scenario is similar. We control our own fate."
After Los Angeles blanked Calgary 5-0 at Staples Center in November, the Flames bounced back with a 2-1 overtime win at the Saddledome in Calgary on Feb. 28 before also beating the Kings 4-2 at home on March 19.
Los Angeles captain Anze Kopitar said that the Kings have been playing well but haven't been getting the results they got earlier in the season.
"I think part of it is the confidence factor," Kopitar said. "It doesn't seem like we're playing with confidence and the swagger that we need to play and we have played in the past. So we've got to find that somehow."
A loss to the Flames won't mathematically eliminate the Kings from playoff contention. They would still have a slim chance to catch either the St. Louis Blues (depending on the result of their road game against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday) or Nashville Predators for the final Western Conference wild-card berth.
Asked what the Kings hope to accomplish in the final two weeks of the season, Kopitar said, "Play and try, obviously, to win as many games as we can."
