Tonight at 9 p.m. ET, the Los Angeles Kings (39-26-15, 93 points) and Calgary Flames (44-29-7, 95 points) take the ice for the fifth and final meeting against each other this season live from the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.
Los Angeles has lost two straight games and enters what could be its second-to-last match of the season while Calgary has emerged victorious in two consecutive contests and looks to clinch a berth into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Kings are two points behind their opponents for the third and final automatic playoff spot in the Pacific Division and they trail the Winnipeg Jets by three points for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
A loss here would put the defending Stanley Cup champions out of contention for the playoffs.
The Flames, meanwhile, can clinch a berth into the postseason with a win over their division rival at home tonight.
Calgary has won three of the four games in the season series while Los Angeles won the last meeting between these teams by a 5-3 margin on Feb. 12.
This game can be live streamed by clicking here.
The Kings come in on the heels of a 4-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday and their resume in the postseason shows that they are no strangers to success when faced with adversity.
"We're definitely prepared for the situation," Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said per NHL.com. "We've played many big games like this. We have to treat them the same way. This is our Game 7, I guess you can say. If we don't win, we're going home. If we win, we have a chance to make the playoffs. We're going to treat it as a Game 7. It's must-win. Everyone needs to bring their best."
Anze Kopitar has paced Los Angeles this season with 64 points off of 16 goals and 48 assists while Jeff Carter has a team-best 28 tallies to go along with 33 helpers for 61 points.
The Flames are coming in on the back of a 3-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday that saw Sean Monahan notch the deciding goal.
The team knows it has a huge opportunity in front of it and can't take it for granted.
"It's pretty special," Calgary forward Joe Colborne, told NHL.com. "We haven't done anything yet. It's a lot of nerves, a lot of excitement. It's going to be a fun game out there tonight. A lot of energy; a lot of nerves. It's going to be a tough one."
Jiri Hudler leads Calgary with 44 assists and 73 points while Calder Trophy candidate Johnny Gaudreau has lit the lamp 23 times and added 39 helpers for 62 points on the campaign.
In the crease, Calgary is set to turn to Jonas Hiller and he is 25-19-4 this season with a 2.39 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.
With its season on the line, Los Angeles looks to Jonathan Quick in between the pipes and he is 35-21-13 with a 2.26 GAA and a .917 save percentage.
It's a huge game with playoff implications when the lights come up on the Kings and Flames live tonight from the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.
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