Game 80: Kings 3, Coyotes 2

To peep out all the videos online about this game, check out today's Hockeywood Dailies.

Hear ye! Hear ye! Whereas the Kings have clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and being desirous that all the loving subjects throughout the Kingdom may avail themselves with all convenient speed the purchase of playoff tickets.

For the second year in a row, the Kings will be playing in the postseason. And even though there is still a pall that hangs in the air over losing All-Star center Anze Kopitar, you couldn't tell by standing at on the floor at Staples Center. Or sitting on a couch in El Segundo. Or listening in the car on the 10. Or watching online in a dark library room in Westwood. Or leaning on a bar in Long Beach.

For at least one night, the unbridled joy of achieving a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs supercedes everything else. On Wednesday night, regardless of how the Kings finish out the regular season or who they draw in the first round, it was good to the Kings.

And it was made that much sweeter that they didn't back into the playoff spot by having another team eliminate themselves. They earned that spot by beating the Phoenix Coyotes, a team that is still only one point behind the Kings. The fact that it was against their divisional rival, that took the first three games of the season series by a combined score of 12-6, well, that was even sweeter.

In the first period, Jarret Stoll became the fifth Kings to score at least 20 goals this season (six if you count Penner), an example of the Kings' depth this season. However, two of those 20-goal scorers are out, which means Stoll is going to need to provide as much offensive jump as he does when he wins faceoffs.

But then in true fashion, the Coyotes bit back with two goals, the first less than two minutes later. The Coyotes, perhaps sensing a playoff berth was within their grasp, started playing the Kings real tight. And it wasn't until there was three minutes left in the second that the Kingdom could breath a sigh of relief.

Kyle Clifford, the 6-foot-2 winger from Ayr, Ontario, struck with a nifty deflection past Ilya Bryzgalov on a tight pass from Wayne Simmonds to knot the game up. The tide had turned, as the Kings wound up outshooting the 'Yotes the rest of the way in regulation.

Because that's exactly where the Kings wanted to be: tied and heading into the shootout. Sure, it would be nice to win in overtime. But they couldn't register a shot in the five minutes of OT, so it seemed like they were just aching to get to the shootout.

Even though they didn't have any shots in the overtime, they made up for it when it mattered. Michal Handzus and Jarret Stoll both tallied a goal, and Jonathan Quick was able to halt two Phoenix attempts to seal the win.

And when they did, the team stormed the ice and celebrated. It took 80 games to get to this point, an exhausting rollercoaster ride of a season that has tested even the most ardent of fans. A glorious October, December and March were tempered with the equally frustrating November, January and February. It's been a season that found the team atop the Pacific for a period, only to tumble precariously back into the pack.

This team won't be defined by their exploits during the regular season, however. Even though they tied a franchise record for wins in a season with 46... Even though they have been phenomenal on defense and in net... Even though many of the players have made remarkable progress... this team will be defined by it's postseason success. Can they match last season's success with a real dogfight in the first round? Can they find that certain something that champions are made of? Can they finally reveal to the rest of the league that they are, in fact, for real?

Only time will tell. But for now, the Kings are officially in the playoffs. The Kings are officially in the top half of the league in respectability. The Kings are heading for a date with their eventual destiny. Whatever happens from this point, enjoy this moment right now.

This proclamation is presented on this, the sixth day of the month of April in the year or 2011 of our Lord;


• AP: Kings clinch playoff spot with win over Coyotes

The Kings and Ducks have never been to the postseason in the same year since the NHL expanded to Anaheim in 1993-94. But if the Kings win both, they can lock up fourth place in the Western Conference and home-ice advantage in the first round.

• LA Times: Kings come through in clinch

The energy generated by the line of rookie left wing Kyle Clifford, center Brad Richardson and right wing Wayne Simmonds also was instrumental in the Kings' securing a playoff spot in their fourth chance.

• LAKings.com: Kings beat Coyotes 3-2 in shootout to secure playoff berth

They saw the celebration in Vancouver, after the Canucks clinched the President’s Trophy, and in San Jose, after the Sharks wrapped up the Pacific Division title.  The Kings, it seems, had seen enough of opponents partying it up in their presence.

• NHL.com: Kings clinch playoffs by beating Coyotes in SO 

The two points give the Kings 98, one more than Nashville and Phoenix. Dallas, the only non-playoff team that still has a chance to make the top eight in the West, can get only 97. 

They said it

“It’s a real honor to be here, and to make it into the playoffs is an honor in this league. The next step is winning. You’ve got to take it round by round, and this whole team has their sights set on the Stanley Cup.” – Kyle Clifford, on making the playoffs in his rookie season.

“We’ve got a lot of character in the locker room. We noticed that a little earlier in the season, when we went through a couple slumps and found ourselves out of the top eight. We went and won some big games on the road, in some tough arenas, and these guys continued to compete, and it’s a pleasure being in net for them.” – Jonathan Quick, on getting to the playoffs with the recent injuries.

“Yeah, it’s huge and we want it. Our goal is obviously to make the playoffs. The home-ice is there for us and these last two games are a big test for us, and getting our game to where we want it to be for playoffs. If we do that, we’ll probably have home-ice because of it.” – Jarret Stoll, on still playing for home-ice advantage.

“Well, we can take a deep breath and we can breathe out, but we’ve got two big games ahead of us. We’ll get on the ice tomorrow at 11:30. We’ve got another couple big games against Anaheim. They’re playing very well. They won tonight against San Jose, so we want to keep going and try to get that home-ice advantage.” – Terry Murray, on being able to “exhale” after clinching.