Kings ‘really engaged’ in battle for Western Conference playoff berth

CHICAGO -- Drew Doughty knew what the Los Angeles Kings needed to jump-start their power play, which had come up empty over five games.

“More urgency,” was the first thing the defenseman said.

That seemed to be the approach the Kings took in all facets during a 5-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Friday. Not only did they break out of their 0-for-10 skid on the man-advantage with Pierre-Luc Dubois’ goal at 3:10 of the first period, but they were dominant in a game they needed to win.

It’s something they’ll want to repeat when they visit the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; BSW, BSSW).

“I’ve said it before: Two points in October are the same as two points in March, but you can really see the difference two points can mean in the standings,” Dubois said. “The games are just as important, but you can see that race developing and you can see the standings develop (now).”

The Kings (34-21-11) are fighting to keep pace for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot and are third in the Pacific Division, four points behind the second-place Edmonton Oilers, who have two games in hand. Los Angeles is two points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights, who hold the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference and are four points ahead of the Minnesota Wild.

Kings defenseman Jordan Spence, who scored his first goal of the season Friday in his 55th game, is fine with it being a fight to the finish.

“It keeps us focused, keeps us really engaged,” he said. “So, obviously it’s going to be a battle until the end and we’re really looking forward to it and we’re really excited from now on.”

Still, the Kings have to play their best hockey down the stretch, and that’s what they did Friday. They played with speed, their passes were crisp and they took advantage of lapses in the Blackhawks defense, especially in the first when they scored four of their five goals.

Cam Talbot stopped all 12 shots he faced in the first.

“It was great to get off with the lead, but what we saw was ‘Talbs’ [had to make two or three big saves early]. It could’ve been a different game, so credit the goalie there and nice to see the puck go in for us,” Los Angeles coach Jim Hiller said. “We had a lot of good chances in St. Louis (a 3-1 loss Wednesday), so we wanted to play the same offensive game, just clean up a couple of mistakes. It was nice to see the puck go in for us.”

The Kings also kept Connor Bedard off the score sheet, which has been no easy feat this season. The No. 1 pick by the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2023 NHL Draft, Bedard leads all rookies with 51 points (20 goals, 31 assists) and had eight points (three goals, five assists) in his previous two games. Bedard’s first shot attempt didn’t come until midway through the second period, and all three of his shots on goal came in the third period.

Ultimately, the Kings have been trying to get back to the strong play they showed early in the season, when they got off to a 20-7-4 start. That included an 11-0-0 season-opening road streak, which ended with a 3-2 overtime loss at the New York Islanders on Dec. 9.

After that start, however, Los Angeles went 3-8-6 in its next 17 games. Todd McLellan was fired Feb. 2 and replaced by Hiller on an interim basis. The Kings are 11-6-1 since Hiller took over.

“At some point, we hit a wall in the season,” forward Phillip Danault said. “I think it’s normal. Everyone hits a wall every season. it’s just a matter of standing up again and being better.”

The Kings know what they need to do down the stretch. It won’t be easy in this race to the postseason, but they understand the urgency of the situation.

“You want to peak when the playoffs start, and you want to play well. I don’t think it’s a switch you turn on once the playoffs start; it’s just a continuation of the season,” Dubois said. “There’s still a lot of hockey to be played, but we’re happy with the result like tonight.”