The Ducks can win their fourth consecutive Pacific Division championship with victories Thursday over the Kings at Staples Center and Saturday over the Colorado Avalanche in Denver. They also could sew it up with a triumph Sunday over the Capitals in Washington.
In other words, their fate is in their own hands.
The Kings can win their first division title since 1990-91 with home wins Thursday over the Ducks and Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets, but they would need help from the Avalanche on Saturday and/or the Capitals on Sunday.
In other words, they can do everything right and still lose the title on the final day of the regular season.
If the Ducks win the division, they’ll secure the second-seeded spot in the Western Conference and hold the home-ice advantage in a first-round best-of-7 series against the Nashville Predators, the No. 1 wild-card team and the fourth-place finisher in the Central Division.
The Kings would then face the San Jose Sharks in the opening round in a matchup between the second- and third-place teams in the Pacific. If the Kings win the division, they would face the Predators and the Ducks would play the Sharks.
It’s possible, the Sharks could pass the Ducks or the Kings and move into second place and gain home-ice advantage for the first round against the third-place finisher, but the Ducks and Kings would each have to lose twice and the Sharks would have to win twice.
The Sharks cannot pass both the Ducks and Kings, however.
The Ducks (44-24-11, 99 points) could reach 105 points at most by regular season’s end. The Kings (47-28-5, 99 points) could reach 103. The Sharks (45-29-6, 96 points) could reach 100.
Bottom line: this is the most important regular-season game between the Ducks and Kings.
Right?
“Sure,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said, his one-word answer dripping with sarcasm.
After all, home-ice advantage for at least the first two rounds is more important than denying a bitter rival a relatively minor victory in the form of a division championship banner. Both teams are after so much more after a long and arduous regular season.
It doesn’t matter whether the Ducks draw the Predators or the Sharks.
Or whether the Kings draw the Predators or the Sharks.
“I don’t think so, yeah, I don’t think so,” Getzlaf said. “I mean, they’re both great hockey teams. Anyone you face in the first round is going to be good. We’re trying to get our game in order and make sure we’re going on all cylinders going into it.”
The Ducks canceled their practice Wednesday. The Kings shifted theirs to an optional skate. So, rest was important for both teams.
There wasn’t much last-minute preparations could do at this late stage of the season, anyway. The Ducks know the Kings and the Kings know the Ducks.
“It’s always big playing against the crosstown rival,” Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler said. “Both teams, obviously, want to win the division. Any time you go into L.A., it’s going to be a hostile environment. It’s going to be extremely difficult to play in that building, especially.
“We’ll get some rest and be ready for Thursday.”
