Why The Kings Can’t Afford To Rest Starters In Finale With Playoff

The Los Angeles Kings suffered one of their worst losses of the season on Tuesday, losing in overtime against the Vancouver Canucks. Against the weakest team in the NHL, with major playoff seedings on the line, LA chooses to lose at the worst time.

It should’ve been an easy routine win against the Canucks, instead the Kings had to battle all night long just to lose in overtime, as they’ve regularly done all throughout this season.

LA Kings Miss Crucial Chance At Home-Ice Advantage In Loss To Canucks A golden opportunity went out the door for the Los Angeles Kings in their loss against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.

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Now, with that loss turning into a missed opportunity, it may ultimately shape their playoff path and doom a possible deep playoff run. With just one game remaining against the Calgary Flames on Thursday, the Kings now face a critical decision: rest starters to stay healthy for the postseason, or go all out and win for a more favorable seeding.

Given what’s at stake, the answer should be clear. This is not the time for Los Angeles to take its foot off the gas.

Seeding On The Line

On paper, the loss to Vancouver might not seem devastating. The Kings have already clinched a playoff spot and are preparing for the postseason. But the context of the loss tells a much different story.

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The Canucks entered the game with nothing to play for, sitting near the bottom of the standings. Meanwhile, the Kings had everything to gain, with a chance to improve their position in the Pacific Division and avoid a difficult first-round matchup.

The loss now leaves them still in the second wild-card spot in the postseason, with a much tougher playoff path ahead.

Rather than positioning themselves for a potentially favorable matchup against a Pacific Division opponent, the Kings are now staring at the possibility of facing the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, a team…