Seattle’s bid to land a team days from a reality

Seattle is one step away from landing an NHL franchise.

Team and city executives have already secured more than 30,000 season-ticket deposits, got an arena plan passed through local government and wowed the executive committee of owners. It all pays off Tuesday when the NHL Board of Governors is expected to approve Seattle as the home of the league’s 32nd franchise.

“Seattle’s one of the fastest-growing cities in the country,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said recently. “It gives us a geographic balance. It creates a nice geographic rivalry with Vancouver. I know Vancouver’s particularly excited about the possibility. The ownership group, the plans for the arena it’s all of the above. It’s never one factor. If you’re going to have a successful expansion application, all of the bases need to be touched and all of them need to be checked off as being appropriate and right.”

Timing is the only question.

Renovations to the downtown arena that will be the team’s home are scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2020. The uncertainty could lead the NHL to leave the door open to a 2020 or 2021 start or push it back just to be safe.

KINGS 2, HURRICANES 0 >> Alec Martinez scored with 2:13 left, and Jonathan Quick stopped 34 shots for his 50th career shutout to slow down Carolina, which had earned at least one point in five of its previous six games. The Hurricanes visit the Sharks on Wednesday.

Martinez tipped Jake Muzzin’s pass past goalie Petr Mrazek to help the Kings a two-game skid. Kyle Clifford added an empty-net goal at 19:07 of the third period.

• Kings forward Ilya Kovalchuk will be sidelined for about four weeks after undergoing a procedure on his ankle. Kovalchuk underwent an ankle bursectomy.

The veteran Russian forward has five goals and nine assists in 25 games since returning to the NHL with the Kings this season. DUCKS 6, CAPITALS 5 >> Pontus Aberg scored twice in the third period, including the go-ahead goal with 5:05 remaining, and Anaheim stopped Washington’s seven-game win streak. JETS 4, RANGERS 3, SO >> Mark Scheifele started Winnipeg’s third-period comeback and scored the deciding goal in the shootout against New York.

The Rangers lost for the fourth time in five games. FLAMES 3, BLACKHAWKS 2 >> Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm each had a goal and an assist and Calgary beat Chicago to take the Pacific Division lead.

Chicago fell to 3-8-2 since Jeremy Collition replaced fired coach Joel Quenneville.

AVALANCHE 2, RED WINGS 0 >> Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves for his 24th career shutout and first of the season and Colorado beat Detroit to stretch its points streak to 11 games at 9-0-2.

Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, and Gabriel Landeskog also scored.