Kings can’t afford slow start in playoff chase game vs. Maple Leafs

The Los Angeles Kings are in a desperate tussle for a playoff spot and need to avoid another slow start Saturday night against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Kings (30-26-19, 79 points) fell behind the visiting Nashville Predators 3-0 Thursday before tying the game at 4 in the third period.

The Predators won in an eight-round shootout with Luke Evangelista scoring the lone goal to escape with the extra point that left them tied in points in the Western Conference standings with the Kings and the San Jose Sharks.

It was the second consecutive slow start for the Kings, who defeated the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in overtime on Wednesday.

"I mean, at the end of the day, you've probably got to simplify it," Kings interim coach D.J. Smith said. "You've got to start by winning the opening drop, you've got to put it in and you've got to forecheck and you get a couple shifts and then you get going in. It's like anything else, the more you talk about it, then it becomes a thing. ... It was a tale of two games completely. They dominated the first half, and I thought we took it to them in the second half."

Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs (32-31-13, 77 points) were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 4-1 road loss to the Sharks on Thursday. The Sharks have played one fewer game than the Kings and Predators, so they are sitting in the second and final wild-card spot.

The Kings have seven games remaining in the regular season. Los Angeles forward Anze Kopitar, who had an assist on Thursday, has said he will retire at the end of the season and was honored before the game.

"I don't plan on playing just seven more games," he said.

The Sharks also led 3-0 in their game before John Tavares scored a power play goal for Toronto in the second period.

"I thought our puck play wasn't quite as sharp as it was the other night," Tavares said. "That competitiveness to raise your game was pretty (much) there."

The Maple Leafs were coming off a 5-4 overtime road win over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday.

The Sharks opened the scoring at 3:27 of the first period and never looked back after taking a 2-0 lead into the second period.

"We got better as the game went along," Toronto coach Craig Berube said. "Throughout the whole game, we didn't shoot the puck enough. We had a lot of opportunities to get more pucks to the net. They blocked too many shots, too, in my opinion. But we were competitive."

Toronto had 19 shots on goal.

"They came out hot," Toronto defenseman Simon Benoit said. "They were buzzing. They got two goals right off the bat. They have momentum. They're fighting for that spot. So, everything is urgent for them -- and for us. You know, everybody's playing for something, even though I think we're eliminated, right?"

Former Maple Leafs forward Scott Laughton scored his 12th goal of the season on Thursday, his fourth in 14 games within the Kings since being acquired from Toronto in a trade.

The Kings are 1-1-1 with four games left in a seven-game homestand.

The Maple Leafs are 1-2-0 with one game remaining on a four-game road trip.

The Kings won 4-3 in overtime at Toronto on Nov. 13 with Quinton Byfield scoring the winning goal.