Byfield's Two Goals Send Kings to Playoffs, Leave Kraken Season in Ruins
The Seattle Kraken's season just got a whole lot darker. Quinton Byfield lit up Climate Pledge Arena with two goals and the Los Angeles Kings rolled to a 5-3 win Monday night, clinching a playoff berth while mathematically eliminating the Kraken from postseason contention. It was brutal timing for a home crowd of 17,151 that watched their team's playoff hopes die in real time.
Kings Get Their Ticket Punched
Los Angeles didn't just win a hockey game. They secured their fifth consecutive playoff appearance, and Byfield was the story. He opened the scoring on a two-on-one after a failed pinch created space, then added his 22nd goal of the season later in the first when a pass jumped the Kings' blue line and turned into a breakaway conversion. That's the kind of opportunistic scoring that wins games you absolutely need to win.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiTrevor Moore, Adrian Kempe, and Alex Laferriere also lit the lamp for LA, who won their fifth straight game. Anton Forsberg was solid in net with 28 saves. The Kings' playoff clinching was sealed when Nashville lost to San Jose earlier Monday, which also eliminated both the Predators and the Sharks in one fell swoop.
Kraken Fighting But Coming Up Empty
Adam Larsson, Frederick Gaudreau, and Bobby McMann all scored for Seattle, but they came too late and in bunches. All three found the back of the net in the third period, twice pulling within one goal, but it wasn't enough. Nikke Kokko stopped 25 shots in his second career start. Matty Beniers chipped in two assists, but the Kraken couldn't complete the comeback. Laferriere's empty-netter in the final seconds ended any hope of a miraculous finish.
This loss was especially stinging because it was Seattle's first defeat to LA this season. The Kraken haven't won three straight games since January, and now they're officially done for the year with two games remaining on the schedule.
What's Next
The Kings head to Vancouver on Tuesday to keep rolling. Seattle travels to Vegas on Wednesday to try and salvage something from an ugly finish.
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