Ryan Sikes 
Photo Credit: Andy Devlin, NHLI via Getty Images
After a jam-packed slate of games on Thursday evening, it feels like the LA Kings will have to win out to make the playoffs. They received no help from Nashville or Calgary, who played Edmonton and Calgary, respectively. Edmonton shut out the Predators in Nashville 4-0. The Golden Knights took care of business 6-1 in Calgary.
Not ideal.
The Kings will host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, and the final six games are all against non-playoff teams. As of this morning, here are LA’s chances of making the postseason (via MoneyPuck):
| Team | Make Playoffs | Make 2nd Round |
| LAK | 71.1% | 32.7% |
| EDM | 98.6% | 52.5% |
| VGK | 54.2% | 22.3% |
| NSH | 85.6% | 18.4% |
| DAL | 85.8% | 21.3% |
Vegas’s odds increased dramatically overnight while the Kings went from the mid-80s down to just over 70 percent. It is interesting, though, that MoneyPuck likes the Kings’ chances of making out of the first round compared to the likes of Dallas, Nashville, and even Vegas.
It’s just a matter of securing that postseason spot, which seemingly could happen on the final day, given how the Golden Knights are playing.
(Main photo credit: Andy Devlin, NHLI via Getty Images)