After they began the day third in the Pacific Division, the Kings got knocked out of a playoff spot altogether after the standings were reshuffled in the Western Conference. Not even Anze Kopitar, in his head-to-head Hart Trophy-candidate matchup with McDavid, could lift the Kings as they wheezed to the end of their trip.
"I don't think it hasn't been," Muzzin said. "It's always a tight race until the end and we're in it again."
Pearson also made a pretty assist to Muzzin on Muzzin's snap shot that halved the deficit to 2-1 at first intermission. The Kings gave up their 71st and 72nd first-period goals, tied for fourth-most in the NHL.