That might be overstating things for the Kings, but after a year spent stewing over a missed postseason, their return would be doubly meaningful. They got to within one standings point of clinching a berth with a 3-1 win Monday against the Colorado Avalanche.
They lost another defenseman in the process when Derek Forbort suffered a lower-body injury, but the big picture was not lost on them afterward.
Not literally, but the numbers were impressive: Alec Martinez logged 32 minutes, 11 seconds, which made Drew Doughty's near 29-minute night seem like a light night by his standards.