 and St. Louis (89) in the Western Conference wild-card race. Jeff Carter also had a power-play goal. Mike Smith stopped 26 shots for the Flames, who were eliminated from playoff contention. Calgary has been outscored 28-7 during a six-game losing streak. Phanuef gave the Kings a 1-0 lead 4:04 into the second period, scoring on a long shot from the blue line five seconds into a power play. All four of Phaneuf's goals since being acquired from Ottawa in a Feb. 13 trade have come on the man advantage. Adrian Kempe got the lone assist for winning the faceoff against Troy Brouwer, and Tyler Toffoli set a screen that kept Smith from seeing Phaneuf's shot. Kopitar made it 2-0 at 11:55 with his seventh power-play goal of the season. Scoring on a wrist shot from the left circle, Kopitar matched his 34 goals during the 2009-10 season. The Kings captain has five goals in his last three games. Flames forward Sam Bennett committed three penalties in the opening 30:21, with his infractions for high-sticking and tripping leading to the Kings' first two power-play goals. Carter put Los Angeles in front 3-0 by following up his own rebound from close range at 8:24 of the third. He has 10 goals in 16 games since returning from surgery to repair a cut tendon in his ankle. Los Angeles scored three power-play goals in a game for the third time. NOTES: Kings D Jake Muzzin did not return after sustaining an upper-body injury in the second period. Muzzin fell awkwardly into the boards following a hit by Micheal Ferland. . Flames LW Johnny Gaudreau was not with the team after his father had a cardiac event on Monday. UP NEXTFlames: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night. Kings: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night.---More NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey)
Time: 10:30 PM EDT Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90015 / The Los Angeles Kings will try to move back into a playoff spot when they host the Calgary Flames at Staples Center on Monday night. The Kings lost at the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 on Saturday night to fall out of third place in the Pacific Division with six games left. Los Angeles entered Sunday with 89 points, same as the St. Louis Blues, who are currently sitting in the second wild-card spot. The Kings are two points behind the third-place Anaheim Ducks, who beat the Edmonton Oilers Sunday. The Blues next play Tuesday against the visiting San Jose Sharks, who beat the Flames 5-1 on Saturday for their seventh straight win. The Kings (41-28-7) earned points in the first three games of the four-game road trip through Canada, allowing them to stay close in the tightest NHL playoff race since the advent of the Western and Eastern Conference format in 1993-94." We got points that we really need to stay in the battle here, but there is no room for error," Kings coach John Stevens said. "There are too many teams that are edging along for spots in the playoffs, so we'll get our rest on the days we need to rest, and we'll need to be ready to go when it's time to go. But, tough trip. It doesn't end here. We play Calgary in a day from now, so we've got to get out the door, get home, get some rest and get ready for a big game at home against Calgary." The Flames (35-31-10) were just one point out of third place in the Pacific Division on Feb. 26, but have gone 3-9-1 since. They come to Los Angeles riding a five-game losing streak that's put them nine points behind the Ducks with six games left. Still, the Flames have out-shot their opponent in the past 11 games." Guys are still engaged here," Calgary right winger Troy Brouwer told reporters after the loss to San Jose. "Guys are still wanting to play physical and wanting to play hard and wanting to play for the team. They're wanting to play for their teammates and making sure that we're not having any lapses in our efforts." Calgary will have to take on the Kings without some key players, however. Sean Monahan, who leads the Flames with 31 goals, will undergo surgery on his wrist and has been shut down for the season after playing his final game Wednesday in a 4-0 loss to the visiting Ducks. Second-leading goal scorer Matthew Tkachuk and top-four defenseman TJ Brodie also did not make the trip because of upper-body injuries. The Kings will get their first look at Calgary forward Nick Shore, who they traded to the Ottawa Senators in February for defenseman Dion Phaneuf. Shore was then traded to the Flames two weeks later for a seventh-round draft pick in 2019." We've got to come out and win some games here at the end," Calgary defenseman Travis Hamonic said in the locker room after Saturday's loss. "We have to come out play as hard as we can."
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