Kings clinch playoff spot for fourth-straight season

The Los Angeles Kings are officially back in the playoffs, as they clinched their spot for the 2025 postseason on Saturday.

The Kings managed to clinch a playoff berth thanks to a combination of their 3-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights‘ 3-2 overtime win over the Calgary Flames, who are currently the best team outside of a playoff spot.

Entering the night, the Kings either needed a win and a Flames loss of any kind, or a point and a Flames regulation loss, so with them getting two points on the day and the Flames only getting one, that got the job done.

The results give the Kings a 12-point advantage on the Flames, and with only six games left in the season for Calgary, they can only tie with Los Angeles. But, the Kings have 12 more regulation wins, which is the first tiebreaker at the end of the season, so it’s impossible for the Flames to overtake Los Angeles.

The Kings clinch a playoff spot for the fourth straight season, and will look to win their first playoff series during that stretch. They’ve lost all three previous series’ to the Oilers.

The Kings currently sit in second place in the Pacific Division with a 44-23-9 record, and currently appear to be on course to play yet another first round series against the Oilers. However, they are three points behind the Golden Knights for first place in the division, so it is possible that they could take that spot and likely face the St. Louis Blues or Minnesota Wild.

The Kings become the fifth team in the Western Conference to clinch a playoff spot, and the 10th team in the league, joining the Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers.