The kings vs canucks matchup on April 14 ET carries real weight for the Kings as they reach the penultimate game of the regular season in Vancouver. Los Angeles has already clinched a playoff berth, but the next two games can still reshape where the team finishes in the Pacific Division and who it draws in the first round. The Kings arrive off a 5-3 win over Seattle and will face a Canucks team that is coming off a 4-3 overtime victory over Anaheim.
Playoff position is still live
The Kings enter the night with a five-game point streak and a chance to improve their standing before the regular season closes. The team can still finish second in the Pacific, and the outcome of the kings vs canucks game matters because it may affect the opponent Los Angeles meets in the opening round.
That is the immediate pressure point. The Kings have already secured a playoff spot for the fifth straight season, but the picture beyond that remains unsettled. The club is headed to Calgary for its final game after tonight, which means this Vancouver trip sits at the center of the final seeding math.
Kings Vs Canucks projected lineups hold steady
The Kings did not hold a morning skate after the win in Seattle, and the projected forward groups remain the same shape shown in recent team notes: Artemi Panarin with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe; Trevor Moore with Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere; Joel Armia with Scott Laughton and Jared Wright; and Mathieu Joseph with Samuel Helenius and Taylor Ward. The Canucks are expected to dress the same 18 skaters used in their overtime win over Anaheim, with Drew O’Connor, Marco Rossi and Linus Karlsson in one line, Liam Ohgren, Teddy Blueger and Brock Boeser in another, and Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander in a third.
In goal, Darcy Kuemper is expected to start for the Kings after Anton Forsberg handled the previous four games. The goaltending call is one of the main lineup decisions still in view, and it comes after the Kings’ back-to-back schedule and Kuemper’s limited recent workload.
Injuries, scratches, and what teams are working around
The Kings remain without Jeff Malott, Alex Turcotte and Andrei Kuzmenko, while Jacob Moverare is scratched. The Canucks are missing Evander Kane, Filip Chytil, Thatcher Demko and Derek Forbort, and they have also scratched P. O. Joseph, Max Sasson and Victor Mancini.
Alex Turcotte is close enough to be considered a possible option, but the available information does not confirm a return. Jacob Moverare is the only other healthy skater on the trip for Los Angeles who could be available if the Kings decide on more changes.
What the teams are saying about kings vs canucks
Adrian Kempe has been a major factor in this matchup, scoring twice when the teams met earlier this month and posting a point in all three meetings with Vancouver this season. Mikey Anderson has also been active in the series with three assists in three games.
The broader message from both sides is straightforward: the job is not finished. The Kings have completed the first step by clinching a playoff berth, but the kings vs canucks game is part of the stretch that will determine how hard the first round could be and how much room Los Angeles has to improve before the bracket is set.
What happens next
After Vancouver, the Kings finish the regular season in Calgary, with playoff seeding still in play until the final horn. Tonight’s result will not settle everything on its own, but it can sharpen the path ahead and make the last game far easier to read. For Los Angeles, the kings vs canucks matchup is about more than points in the standings; it is about control over what comes next.
