At their best, the Los Angeles Kings play their best hockey with their backs against the wall. Really, you almost wonder if they’re better off when things are tough.
Thursday presented a challenging situation, as they faced the Anaheim Ducks in a game that could largely determine who might win the Pacific Division title.
With a 2-1 win against the Ducks, the ball is now in the Kings’ court. Simply enough, if the Kings beat the Winnipeg Jets, they’ll take the top spot in the Pacific.
Final: L.A. 2, Anaheim 1. Kings can clinch first division title since '91 with a win Saturday. L.A. owns the first tiebreaker.
— Curtis Zupke (@curtiszupke) April 8, 2016
Anaheim, meanwhile, closes out 2015-16 with two road games: at Colorado and at Washington.
It’s still plausible that the Ducks might take the division after all, but the Kings get to decide that as much as Anaheim.
(Whoever loses the race for the Pacific faces the San Jose Sharks, who fell 5-4 to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.)