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In the 1,312th and final NHL regular season game of 2023-24, the LA Kings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 in overtime.
Thursday’s contest was emblematic of LA’s entire season; an offensive outburst, a blown lead in the third period, and of course, OT. Adrian Kempe – who on Thursday was named the Kings 2023-24 MVP – ripped a shot past Blackhawks netminder Arvid Soderblom only six seconds into the extra frame.
JUST LIKE THAT JUICE CALLS GAME
@LAKings I #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/HIn1zfvBQW
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 19, 2024
Quinton Byfield’s strong game on Thursday was both confidence-boosting and lucrative. Byfield snapped his 19-game goal-less streak and added an assist as well. In the process, Byfield earned $425,000 in bonuses, a much-deserved reward for the young forward in his breakout season.
QB caught up with @CarrlynBathe during intermission@LAKings I #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/abU1qokqOh
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 19, 2024
Thursday’s result sets up a third consecutive matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. It seemed inevitable since about the midway point of the season, and the Kings will get yet another shot to slay the dragon from up north.
Stat Sheet Takeaways: LA outshot Chicago by a 36-13 margin on Thursday night. Despite the Kings defensive breakdowns that allowed the Blackhawks to get back in the contest, the Kings controlled play for the majority of the night.
Good Health: In the prior two seasons, LA went into the postseason missing significant pieces of their lineup (Viktor Arvidsson & Drew Doughty in 2021-22, Kevin Fiala & Gabriel Vilardi in 2022-23). So far this year, however, the Kings have managed to escape major injury trouble and will enter the opening round with the most complete lineup they’ve had during this era. Carl Grundström is expected to be ready for Game 1, as well. When healthy, LA is a team that creates matchup troubles for the opposing team, and they’ll need to take advantage of their good health in order to beat Edmonton.
Third Time’s The Charm?: LA went 1-2-1 in the season series against Edmonton, although it’s tough to truly gauge how these two rivals matchup. As has been the case going into the previous two series, Edmonton is more talented up front while the Kings probably play a stronger defensive game. While the Oilers will be favored once again going into the third edition of this series, it’s important to remember the Stanley Cup Playoffs are where one can expect the unexpected.
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