The Kings clinched a playoff spot more than a week ago. But it wasn’t until the horn sounded Thursday in their final regular-season game that they finally found out who they’d be playing and where.
The answer to both questions is Edmonton, and to that end the Kings Viktor Arvidsson to thank, with his two goals taking them to extra time in a 5-4 victory about the Chicago Blackhawks.
Adriano Kempe scored the winning goal six seconds into the extra period, tying the NHL record for fastest overtime count and rescuing the Kings after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period.
The Kings will open the playoffs on Monday in Edmonton (7 p.m. PDT, ESPN2) against the team that ended the last two seasons in the first round of the playoffs. Game 2 will be played on Wednesday in Edmonton, before the series comes to Crypto.com Arena on April 26-28.
“We did it, right?” Kings interim coach Jim Hiller asked.
Almost.
With the Ducks defeating the Golden Knights on Thursday, all the Kings needed to overtake the defending Stanley Cup champions and claim the third spot in the Pacific Division was a point. And they ended up getting it right after Arvidsson scored a power play goal with 1:21 left in regulation.
That erased an epic third-period collapse that saw the Kings give up three unanswered goals in a five-minute span early in the third period, turning a two-goal lead into a 4-3 deficit.
The Kings’ first three goals all in the second period came from Arvidsson Quinton Byfield It is Trevor Moore. Phillip Danault got assists on each.
Now the Kings have a rematch against Edmonton, who beat them three times in four games this season and eliminated them in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. The teams have met nine times in the postseason, with the Kings’ last series victory coming in 1989, Wayne Gretzky’s first season in Los Angeles.
“We definitely want to beat them now,” said Byfield, whose second-period goal was his 20th of the season, against the Oilers. “I think we owe them. But they are a very good team. They had a lot of great pieces, so they’re definitely going to be tough.
Added Hiller, who took over as head coach when Todd McLellan was fired in February, leading the Kings to a 20-12-2 finish. “We have a brief history with them. But we’re really excited to get to the playoffs and play whoever.”
The Kings will head to Canada on a high note, having won 10 of their last 15 regular season games. But eight of those 10 wins have come at home, while the Kings have lost three of their last four on the road.
The Blackhawks, despite being outscored 14-4 in the opening period, opened the scoring in a late Chicago faceoff. Lukas Reichel took control of the loose puck, broke it between Kings defensemen Andres Englund and Jacob Moverare, then slid a backhander between goaltender Cam Talbot and the right post for his fifth goal of the season less than five minutes before the first intermission.
Arvidsson matched that at 4:37 of the second period on a pass from Danault from the left circle.
See more information: Analysis: As Kings shift focus to another challenging playoff series, Ducks look for answers
The Blackhawks appeared to go back ahead at 12:12 of the period on a goal from Jason Dickinson. After Arvidsson lost the puck on the Blackhawks’ end, triggering a two-on-one breakaway, Dickinson knocked in the rebound of his own shot. But after a video review, the referees ruled that Dickinson deflected the puck with his skate and erased the goal.
The Kings needed just four minutes to take advantage, with Byfield putting them ahead on the power play. Eighty seconds later, Moore made it 3-1.
Tyler Johnson began Chicago’s comeback at 1:26 of the third, beating Talbot with a snap shot from the middle of the right circle for his 17th goal. Landon Slaggert set up the tying goal, taking the puck from Kings captain Anze Kopitar on the wings and feeding Joey Anderson, who scored his fifth goal of the season on a backhander.
Ryan Donato then put the Blackhawks ahead with a go-ahead goal with 13:32 remaining.
But Chicago, which ended the season losing six in a row, was unable to protect its lead. After the Kings signed Talbot for an extra skater, Philipp Kurashev went to the box for delay of game after knocking the puck over the glass, giving the Kings a two-skater advantage. Arvidsson scored 21 seconds later.
Kempe, who earlier in the day was named the Kings’ most valuable player, sealed the Kings’ overtime victory with his 28th goal of the season.
For Arvidsson, the wild finish wasn’t a meltdown but a gut check for the Kings.
“I think we showed character,” he said. “We settled in and kind of regrouped and went after it again. So I don’t think we need to worry about that.”
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
