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What needs to happen April 13 as Predators, Kings vie for last wild-card spot
TL;DR
As of April 13, the Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings are competing for the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Kings currently lead with 87 points, while the Predators trail closely with 86 points, but have fewer games remaining.
What needs to happen April 13 as Predators, Kings vie for last wild-card spot
With two games left in the regular season, the Nashville Predators are still in the hunt for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Unfortunately, so are the Los Angeles Kings. And only one team can take the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
The Predators beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1 at Bridgestone Arena on April 11, but earlier in the day, the Kings beat the Edmonton Oilers 1-0 at Crypto.com Arena. That means the Kings (34-26-19) remain in control of the wild-card race: They have 87 points with three games to play. Nashville (38-32-10) has 86 points with just two games to play.
"It's fun playing these meaningful games," said Steven Stamkos, who had a goal and assist in the win. "It sucks we let it slip out of our control, but all we can focus on is the next two (games)."
Nashville's playoff hopes are in the hands of Los Angeles, which can clinch the final wild-card spot by earning four points in its final three games. The Predators can be eliminated as early as April 13 — if they lose in regulation to San Jose that day, and Los Angeles beats Seattle in any fashion.
According to Money Puck, the Predators' playoff chances are 22.7%, a slight increase from 20% entering games on April 11.
Still, they are playing meaningful games late in a season that seemed lost in November. On Nov. 24, they were in last place in the NHL and nothing was going right. Since then, they are 31-20-6 and still in the fight.
After the win over the Wild, coach Andrew Brunette said keeping playoff hopes alive early in the season was challenging, but he relied on his veteran leaders to maintain belief in the locker room.
"Full credit to them for hanging in there, believing and sticking together," he said. "Helping our young guys grow and now they're seeing the benefits coming around . . . they all bought in to put ourselves in position to be where we are."
The Predators' game against the Sharks is April 13 (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network) at Bridgestone Arena. The Kings' game against the Kraken is April 13 (8:30 p.m. CT, ESPN) at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Predators’ playoff outlook changed after beating Wild, LA Kings' win
Q&A
What are the current standings for the Predators and Kings in the wild-card race?
The Los Angeles Kings have 87 points and are in control of the wild-card spot, while the Nashville Predators have 86 points.
How many games are left for the Predators and Kings in the regular season?
The Kings have three games left to play, while the Predators have only two games remaining.
What did the Predators and Kings achieve in their recent games on April 11?
On April 11, the Predators defeated the Minnesota Wild 2-1, and the Kings won against the Edmonton Oilers 1-0.
