A big night on the ice and on the scoreboard from Quinton Byfield in the opening frame in the first period helped the Los Angeles Kings (35-26-19) and interim head coach DJ Smith beat the Seattle Kraken (34-35-11) in the Pacific Division to clinch a postseason birth this upcoming spring in the West in the next upcoming week for the team.
Los Angeles Kings clinch a postseason berth on Monday night after DJ Smith's squad defeated the Seattle Kraken in the Pacific Division early this week in the West
Byfield scored the game's first two goals on the scoreboard in the opening frame in the first period for Smith and the Kings' coaching staff early this week on Monday night (April 13) against the Kraken on the road in Seattle in the Pacific Division. The Kings showed toughness and mental fortitude to fight back and show a business-like mentality in the final frame in the third period when the Kraken brought the lead within one goal on the scoreboard late in the game yesterday.
Smith called a timeout to help the Kings rally late in clutch time in the final frame in the third period yesterday. The Kings ended up scoring two goals in the game's third period in the final frame yesterday to get the two-goal win on the scoreboard.
Smith gave his reaction and thoughts to the media yesterday after the Kings' clutch 5-3 playoff-clinching win on the road over Seattle in the final frame early this week.
The Kings have now clinched a spot in the postseason in the playoffs for this past five years consecutively in the West in the 2020s decade.
Here's a look at everything Smith said to the media postgame following the Kings' 5-3 win on the road in the Pacific Division over the Kraken in Seattle on April 13.
DJ Smith
On the Kings' team clinching a postseason spot this spring
"It’s been a climb, for sure. It probably didn’t look very good a while ago. Credit to the guys, the leadership Kopi, Dewey, Juice, Mikey, Eddie, they’ve played playoff hockey for a while now, and it’s allowed us this opportunity. We’ll see what happens here the rest of the way, and maybe we can climb another spot."
On the Kings' improvement in the standings in the West this regular season in the past month
"It didn’t look good, maybe, but a lot of credit to guys like Wright, he comes in and adds a lot of speed and Jo. I think Q’s line in general have been good for a long time, they play against the other team’s top lines and tonight, they go off. So, it’s been a lot of good performances. Then, clearly, Forsy. When your goalie gets hot like that down the stretch, it gives you a chance."
On Anze Kopitar getting to play in the postseason this spring in the playoffs
"I think that’s that had a lot to do with it too, as guys were playing for him, but he’s played well. Let’s not discount the fact that he’s played really well. He gets one more chance to play at home. Now we got to get ourselves ready for whoever we’re playing and give ourselves a chance."
On what he said to the team yesterday after the win vs. Seattle on the road
"We kept talking about move the chains. We were at the three-yard line, and it looked like we’re having a tough time getting it in there. We found a way. Now the pressure comes off, and now just play that same way every night. I don’t think people are going to expect us right now to get a bunch done, but we’re going to be a tough out. We’re going to play really hard."
On the two goals Quinton Byfield scored yesterday vs. Seattle on the road
"It's how you score in this league, and I think there's a misconception that you just go back, pick it up, and go through five guys. There's only a few guys in the league that do that. The rest of the league scores off of D-zone coverage. You dump it in, we break out, score. So, good defense usually leads to an O-zone chance."
Add us as a preferred source on Google