In California as a whole, the National Hockey League (NHL) has three teams which are the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, and Los Angeles Kings. Southern California has the Ducks and the Kings as their home teams. 

Los Angeles Kings vs. Nashville Predators

On Saturday, March 15, the Los Angeles Kings faced the Nashville Predators in Los Angeles with a final score of 1-0 after overtime. Due to their win, the Kings’ record is now 36-19-9. The Predators’ record is now 25-33-8. In the Pacific Division, the Kings are ranked third, with the Predators ranked seventh in the Central Division. 

Initially, it was predicted that the Kings would sweep the Predators due to their wildly different rankings. However, the Predators would hold their ground and play brilliant defense that blocked the Kings from scoring any goals throughout the regular game. The Kings put up that same effort and the Predators were unable to score anything against them either. This led to overtime where the Kings would seal the win by scoring just one goal and making the final score 1-0. 

The Kings next game will be Thursday, March 20 at 5:30 against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Predators next game will be Tuesday, March 18 at 5:00 against the St. Louis Blues. 

Anaheim Ducks vs. St. Louis Blues

On Sunday, March 16, the Anaheim Ducks faced the St. Louis Blues in Missouri, with a final score of 2-7. Since the Blues took the win, their record is now 33-28-7 and the Ducks record is now 29-31-7. In the Western Conference, the Ducks are now placed 6th in the Pacific Division. In the Central Division, the Blues are ranked fifth. Since the Ducks and Blues are ranked pretty closely despite them being in different divisions, this was a highly anticipated match that could have gone either way.

In the first quarter, the Blues came out hard, scoring two goals and blocking the Ducks from scoring any. As the second quarter approached, the Blues held strong and only allowed the Ducks to score one goal compared to the additional three they scored. In the third quarter, the game was pretty much sealed with the score being 1-5 and by the end of the quarter, it didn’t change much as the final score was 2-7. 

The Ducks next game will be Tuesday, March 18 at 5:00 against the Dallas Stars. The Blues next game will be Tuesday, March 18 at 5:00 against the Nashville Predators.