Alex Turcotte scored twice and added an assist as the Los Angeles Kings thumped the struggling Vancouver Canucks 5-1.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Los Angeles Kings’ Alex Turcotte (15) scores against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko, bottom ...

The surging Canucks have now passed the Calgary Flames by total points to claim the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. On the back of this small win streak, the Canucks are back in the thick of the playoff race with the fading Los Angeles Kings in their sights for third spot in the Pacific Division.

Turcotte put the Kings ahead 1-0 on the first shot of the game 51 seconds into the first period, beating defenseman Filip Hronek to the net on a 2-on-1 to redirect Kempe’s centering pass over the right pad of a sliding Demko.

Canucks captain Quinn Hughes had a sobering take on the struggles of his teammates after their 5-1 loss to the Kings.

The Canucks are now one point ahead of the Calgary Flames for the last Wild Card spot, although the Flames do have a game in hand. They also trail the Los Angeles Kings by only two points for the third Pacific Division playoff spot, but the Kings have two games in hand.

The Los Angeles Kings continue their western Canadian road trip as they roll into Rain City to take on their Pacific Division foe, the Vancouver Canucks.  Puck drop is slated for 10 pm ET

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After Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo officially pulled out from the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off on Sunday "to tend to an ailment and prepare for the remainder of the regular season," another veteran name has emerged as Team Canada's latest addition.

The Vancouver Canucks have played their way back into the light of the playoff race, and it was probably the best game of the season for goalie Thatcher Demko.

Alex Turcotte scored twice and notched an assist as the Los Angeles Kings thumped the struggling Vancouver Canucks 5-1 on Thursday.

Head coach Rick Tocchet shed light on the situation, attributing Miller’s decreased minutes to a strategic shift toward spreading ice time more evenly among forward lines, per Canucks Army's Jeff Paterson.