LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Kings were in rough shape coming into Saturday's matchup against the Calgary Flames and in desperate need of a win.
It had been five straight games without a win for the Kings, with one of their most embarrassing losses of the season, an 8-1 blowout against the Edmonton Oilers, fresh in their minds.
"Obviously, the last game sucked and that's never how you want a game to end. But, I think it just shows our resilience as a group that we're able to bounce back after that... and play like we did tonight," Alex Laferriere said. "I think it shows the leadership we have in this room and how much everybody's pushing for it."
Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune
Los Angeles Kings right wing Alex Laferriere (14) successfully making a shot on goal during an NHL hockey game against the Calgary Flames on February 26th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.
Laferriere strikes first
After a scoreless first period, the tension finally broke with roughly five minutes in the second period after a scramble of Flames and Kings in front of the Calgary net gave Laferriere a chance.
He snuck in from behind the net and tapped in the first goal of the game for either team, giving the Kings their first lead since the second period of their eventual 6-4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 25. It would be the only goal the Kings needed to win, but not the only goal they'd score.
Despite the recent skid, playoffs are within reach for Los Angeles. The Kings are just one point behind the Seattle Kraken for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference and with the season rapidly drawing to a close, every game and every point has postseason implications.
Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune
Los Angeles Kings right wing Alex Lafferriere (14) passing the puck to a teammate during an NHL hockey game against the Calgary Flames on February 26th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.
Fighting for playoffs
"At this point, everybody knows that every game going forward is critical," Anton Forsberg said. "We need every point we can get. Tonight, I thought we battled really hard... there's a bunch of guys stepping up and grinding one out here and that's how we're going to keep playing."
The importance of every point is what made Forsberg's performance in particular so crucial. The Swedish goaltender left the game with a shutout, keeping all 29 of Calgary's shots on goal out of the back of the net.
Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune
Los Angeles Kings goalie Anton Forsberg (31) successfully blocking a shot on goal during an NHL hockey game against the Calgary Flames on February 26th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.
When Adrian Kempe added another goal for insurance in the final seconds of the third period to make it an eventual 2-0 victory, Forsberg's performance meant the second goal wasn't critical to end the game with a win, but it meant everything when it comes to crunching numbers for a playoff appearance.
A gritty win against the Flames is a great stepping-off point for the Kings to enter a run late in the season, but their next opponent, the NHL-best Colorado Avalanche, will make that difficult when they come to Crytpo.com Arena on March 2.
"We'll have to be as tight as were defensively tonight against them [Colorado], because they sting you in a hurry," Kings head coach Jim Hiller said. "We'll just have to push."