Viktor Arvidsson scored two goals and the Los Angeles Kings clinched a playoff berth for the third straight season with a 4-1 win against the visiting Calgary Flames on Thursday night.
Kevin Fiala and Akil Thomas also scored, Anze Kopitar had two assists and Cam Talbot made 23 saves for the Kings (42-26-11, 95 points), who won their fourth game in the past five to take a three-point lead over the Vegas Golden Knights for third place in the Pacific Division.
Los Angeles has three games remaining, and Vegas has four left.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored and Jacob Markstrom made 26 saves for the Flames (35-38-5, 75 points), who have lost nine of their past 11 games.
The Kings went on the game’s first power play after Daniil Miromanov was penalized for closing his glove on the puck, and Fiala scored his 28th goal of the season shortly afterward to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead at 6:48 of the first period.
Fiala received a pass from Kopitar above the right circle with Arvidsson providing a screen. Markstrom looked to one side of Arvidsson as Fiala shot the puck past him on the other side.
The Kings scored 54 seconds into the second period to extend their lead to 2-0.
Trevor Moore and Phillip Danault cycled the puck in the Calgary zone before it went to Arvidsson along the wall. He skated into the right circle, then beat Markstrom with a wrist shot for his third goal in 15 games this season.
Thomas scored his third goal in five games since making his NHL debut on April 1 to make it 3-0 at 7:42 of the second.
Matt Roy took a slap shot from the right point that Thomas deflected off the ice and over the left shoulder of Markstrom to become the fifth Los Angeles player to score at least three goals in his first five games and first since Brian Boyle from Feb. 2-10, 2008.
The Flames ended Talbot’s bid for a fourth shutout this season at 8:28 of the third period. Huberdeau tipped in a point shot from Miromanov as he battled in front of the net with Kings defenseman Jordan Spence.
Arvidsson scored into an empty net at 16:46 to make it 4-1.
–Field Level Media