Ben Bishop debuted for the Los Angeles Kings on the last day of February, a game that the Kings lost in overtime while visiting Calgary. However, the new Los Angeles goalie didn't make his home debut until Saturday night when the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Vancouver Canucks from the Staples Center. The result wasn't a great one for Kings' fans.
Missed opportunity for LA
The Canucks entered the game as one of the worst road teams in the NHL this season. Furthermore, the Kings, despite a weak overall record, aren't that bad of a team when hosting.
With Vancouver practically out of the picture when it comes to even just contending for the second Wild Card spot, the situation seemed great for Los Angeles to nab two points. However, Ben Bishop went just 17 for 21 on the night, yielding four goals at even strength. What resulted was a 4-3 Vancouver victory that did little to redeem the Canucks' chances this season due to how far removed they remain, even with the win.
However, the loss for Los Angeles does change the complexion of their efforts. They allowed a very winnable game to slip through their fingers as games dwindle. They remain the second Wild Card following action on Saturday night. However, the Winnipeg Jets had a good result.
Winnipeg hosted Colorado
The Jets also hosted one of the weaker teams in the league on Saturday. However, unlike Los Angeles, Winnipeg didn't let a chance to get two points escape them. They defeated the Colorado Avalanche in a convincing manner, winning 6-1. The results from the night see Winnipeg inch closer to a playoff spot.
Heading into Sunday, the Jets have 66 points in 66 games while the Kings have 68 in 65 games. There is an edge for Los Angeles regarding both points and games at hand, but the race for the last playoff spot appears to be heating up as the home stretch approaches.
Los Angeles are off for several days now as their next game won't be played until November 9th.
It's a tricky one that they will host against the Nashville Predators. In the meantime, L.A. and their fans will be doing some scoreboard watching. They would want St. Louis to lose on Sunday to Colorado and Winnipeg to lose on Monday to the San Jose Sharks.
