Kings clinch playoffs, extend lead in Pacific
Tanner Pearson and Alec Martinez scored and Jonathan Quick made 27 saves, leading the Kings to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Los Angeles’ 11th victory in 14 games, coupled with the Arizona Coyotes’ 2-0 loss to Tampa Bay, clinched a playoff berth for the Kings — who last season became the eighth team in NHL history to miss the postseason a year after winning the Stanley Cup.
The Kings, vying for just the second division title in franchise history, lead the Pacific Division by six points over Anaheim and seven over the Sharks with 11 games left.
Tyler Randell scored for Boston and Tuukka Rask stopped 18 shots. The Bruins
remained three points behind Florida in the Atlantic Division race with nine games remaining — including a showdown with the Panthers on Thursday in Boston.
The Bruins lost all three games on their California swing for the second straight season.
Stars 3, Islanders 0: Kari Lehtonen made 27 saves for his second shutout of the season for host Dallas, which leads both the Western Conference and Pacific Division. Dallas has 95 points — two ahead of West contenders Los Angeles and St. Louis — with nine games left. Thomas Greiss made 33 saves for New York, which dropped to fourth place in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders are still in position for the East’s first wild card with 85 points and 12 games left.
Blues 3, Canucks 0: Brian Elliott made 19 saves for his second shutout of the season as St. Louis handed host Vancouver its fourth consecutive loss. Troy Brouwer, Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz scored. It was Elliott’s first game since Feb. 22, when he went down with a lower-body injury.
Red Wings 5, Panthers 3: Luke Glendening scored the go-ahead goal and Pavel Datsyuk had two goals for visiting Detroit, which moved three points ahead of Philadelphia for the final wild-card spot in the East.
Penguins 4, Flyers 1: Chris Kunitz had a goal and an assist and visiting Pittsburgh allowed just 17 shots on goal while moving into third in the Metropolitan Division.
Lightning 2, Coyotes 0: Ben Bishop stopped 31 shots for his fifth shutout of the season for visiting Tampa Bay, which moved two points behind first-place Florida in the Atlantic Division.
Blue Jackets 6, Devils 3: Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his first two NHL goals in the third period as host Columbus beat New Jersey. Before the game, the Blue Jackets announced that goalie Curtis McElhinney will have season-ending knee surgery Monday for an injury he suffered Friday in practice.
Wild 3, Hurricanes 2: Charlie Coyle and Zach Parise scored in the shootout as host Minnesota moved one point behind idle Colorado for eighth in the West.
Senators 5, Canadiens 0: Andrew Hammond stopped all 30 shots for his first shutout of the season for host Ottawa, which scored three shorthanded goals for the third time in franchise history.
Maple Leafs 4, Sabres 1: William Nylander and Milan Michalek each had a goal and an assist for host Toronto.