Tonight is an exciting night for the Los Angeles Kings organization. Both the Kings and the Barrie Colts play tonight, which means Kings’ top prospect Brandt Clarke looks to continue his success this season in the OHL Playoffs, while the Kings look to record a massive two points tonight against division rival Vegas.
The NHL Pacific Division is a tight race between the Golden Knights, Oilers, and Kings. The first-place Golden Knights and third-place Kings are separated by just four points.
Per Daily Faceoff, the projected starter for the Golden Knights is Laurent Brossoit, but it has not been confirmed yet. Imagine if Jonathan Quick found his way into the lineup to play his old team. What a storyline that would be.
But, the main storyline to keep an eye on is the two points that Los Angeles needs tonight to close the gap between the first-place Golden Knights. As it stands today, Vegas has 104 points, Edmonton has 103 points, and Los Angeles has 100 points.
Not only would a win tonight shorten the gap between first and third, but it would also mean that the Kings are one step closer to breaking their franchise record of 105 points, which they achieved in the 1974-1975 season.
If the Kings secure the win tonight, then Vegas would remain atop the Pacific Division with 104 points, Edmonton would remain in third with 103 points, and Los Angeles would be one point closer to the bunch with 102 points.
The Remaining Schedule for the Kings is as follows:
- Tonight vs. Vegas Golden Knights
- Saturday, April 8th vs. Colorado Avalanche
- Monday, April 10th vs. Vancouver Canucks
- Thursday, April 13th vs. Anaheim Ducks
The Remaining Schedule for the Golden Knights is as follows:
- Tonight vs. Los Angeles Kings
- Saturday, April 8th vs. Dallas Stars
- Tuesday, April 11th vs. Seattle Kraken
- Thursday, April 13th vs. Seattle Kraken
The Remaining Schedule for the Oilers is as follows:
- Saturday, April 8th vs. San Jose Sharks
- Tuesday, April 11th vs. Colorado Avalanche
- Thursday, April 13th vs. San Jose Sharks
The race to first place will be a tight one for these three teams over the next two weeks. And with one of the four remaining games for the Kings and the Golden Knights being against each other, there’s a massive two points on the line tonight.
Meanwhile, in the OHL, the Barrie Colts are scheduled to take on the Hamilton Bulldogs in the First Round of the OHL Playoffs. Currently, the series is tied 2-2.
After a six-point outing in the first game between these two teams, Brandt Clarke followed it up with a four-point showing in Game 2. In Game 3, he managed to get an assist in the 6-3 loss but wasn’t enough to lift the Colts to a victory.
But, in Game 3 of the OHL Playoffs, he skated into Bulldogs’ player Lawson Sherk, colliding with him knee-on-knee, which earned him a one-game suspension.
Brandt Clarke sure has had an eventful playoff season thus far.
— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) April 3, 2023
• 11 points in 3 games to lead all CHL skaters
• A Michigan goal
• A dirty dirty knee that just earned him a 1-game
suspension pic.twitter.com/YqwXRy0h6Z
Brandt Clarke was out for Game 4, which means he’ll be back on the ice tonight ready to make a difference for the Colts and hopefully will them to victory. In every game he’s played this postseason, he has scored at least one point and looks to continue that point streak tonight.
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