1997–98 Los Angeles Kings season

The 1997–98 Los Angeles Kings season was the Kings' 31st season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Kings qualified for the playoffs for the first time in five years, losing in the first round to St. Louis in four straight games.

Regular season On Saturday, April 11, 1998, the Kings scored three short-handed goals in 4-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

Final standings

Playoffs The Kings were swept by the St. Louis Blues in 4 games in the first round. At home (game 3) LA were leading 3-0, until Storr was run by Geoff Courtnall with 11:27 remaining in the 3rd period. Kings player Sean O'Donnell stuck up for Storr resulting in a 5-minute major for the Blues. St. Louis went on to score 4 PP goals in a 3:07 span. Jamie likely had a concussion or some injury from the charge as his reactions and play were sluggishly uncoordinated contributing to the goals especially the 4th one.

Schedule and results

Regular season

|1||October 1, 1997||3–3 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98) ||0–0–1 ||

|2||October 2, 1997||5–6 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Boston Bruins (1997–98) ||0–1–1 ||

|3||October 5, 1997||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ New York Rangers (1997–98) ||0–1–2 ||

|4||October 7, 1997||3–3 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98) ||0–1–3 ||

|5||October 9, 1997||2–3 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ St. Louis Blues (1997–98) ||0–2–3 ||

|6||October 12, 1997||7–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Ottawa Senators (1997–98) ||1–2–3 ||

|7||October 15, 1997||3–5 || style="text-align:left;"| Boston Bruins (1997–98) ||1–3–3 ||

|8||October 17, 1997||5–1 || style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98) ||2–3–3 ||

|9||October 19, 1997||2–3 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Edmonton Oilers (1997–98) ||2–4–3 ||

|10||October 21, 1997||3–2 || style="text-align:left;"| New York Islanders (1997–98) ||3–4–3 ||

|11||October 23, 1997||1–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Detroit Red Wings (1997–98) ||3–5–3 ||

|12||October 26, 1997||3–1 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98) ||4–5–3 ||

|13||October 28, 1997||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Florida Panthers (1997–98) ||4–5–4 ||

|14||October 31, 1997||5–1 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1997–98) ||5–5–4 ||

|15||November 1, 1997||2–4 || style="text-align:left;"| @ New York Islanders (1997–98) ||5–6–4 ||

|16||November 4, 1997||3–0 || style="text-align:left;"| @ New Jersey Devils (1997–98) ||6–6–4 ||

|17||November 6, 1997||5–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98) ||7–6–4 ||

|18||November 8, 1997||1–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Montreal Canadiens (1997–98) ||7–7–4 ||

|19||November 11, 1997||8–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Vancouver Canucks (1997–98) ||8–7–4 ||

|20||November 13, 1997||6–3 || style="text-align:left;"| San Jose Sharks (1997–98) ||9–7–4 ||

|21||November 15, 1997||1–5 || style="text-align:left;"| Dallas Stars (1997–98) ||9–8–4 ||

|22||November 20, 1997||4–3 || style="text-align:left;"| Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98) ||10–8–4 ||

|23||November 23, 1997||2–1 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Colorado Avalanche (1997–98) ||11–8–4 ||

|24||November 26, 1997||1–4 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Dallas Stars (1997–98) ||11–9–4 ||

|25||November 27, 1997||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ St. Louis Blues (1997–98) ||11–9–5 ||

|26||November 29, 1997||4–1 || style="text-align:left;"| New Jersey Devils (1997–98) ||12–9–5 ||

|27||December 3, 1997||0–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1997–98) ||12–10–5 ||

|28||December 4, 1997||2–3 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Ottawa Senators (1997–98) ||12–11–5 ||

|29||December 6, 1997||2–7 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98) ||12–12–5 ||

|30||December 9, 1997||1–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98) ||12–13–5 ||

|31||December 13, 1997||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Washington Capitals (1997–98) ||12–13–6 ||

|32||December 15, 1997||0–7 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1997–98) ||12–14–6 ||

|33||December 18, 1997||5–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98) ||13–14–6 ||

|34||December 20, 1997||4–1 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Calgary Flames (1997–98) ||14–14–6 ||

|35||December 22, 1997||1–0 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98) ||15–14–6 ||

|36||December 23, 1997||1–5 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Colorado Avalanche (1997–98) ||15–15–6 ||

|37||December 27, 1997||2–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix Coyotes (1997–98) ||15–16–6 ||

|38||December 29, 1997||5–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Vancouver Canucks (1997–98) ||16–16–6 ||

|39||December 31, 1997||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Dallas Stars (1997–98) ||16–16–7 ||

|40||January 1, 1998||0–4 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Phoenix Coyotes (1997–98) ||16–17–7 ||

|41||January 4, 1998||3–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Edmonton Oilers (1997–98) ||17–17–7 ||

|42||January 5, 1998||2–3 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1997–98) ||17–18–7 ||

|43||January 8, 1998||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Buffalo Sabres (1997–98) ||17–18–8 ||

|44||January 10, 1998||3–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Edmonton Oilers (1997–98) ||17–19–8 ||

|45||January 12, 1998||3–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98) ||18–19–8 ||

|46||January 14, 1998||4–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ San Jose Sharks (1997–98) ||19–19–8 ||

|47||January 20, 1998||4–3 || style="text-align:left;"| Calgary Flames (1997–98) ||20–19–8 ||

|48||January 22, 1998||3–1 || style="text-align:left;"| Florida Panthers (1997–98) ||21–19–8 ||

|49||January 24, 1998||3–3 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98) ||21–19–9 ||

|50||January 29, 1998||5–3 || style="text-align:left;"| Calgary Flames (1997–98) ||22–19–9 ||

|51||January 31, 1998||3–0 || style="text-align:left;"| Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98) ||23–19–9 ||

|52||February 2, 1998||0–1 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Edmonton Oilers (1997–98) ||23–20–9 ||

|53||February 3, 1998||6–3 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Calgary Flames (1997–98) ||24–20–9 ||

|54||February 5, 1998||3–1 || style="text-align:left;"| New York Rangers (1997–98) ||25–20–9 ||

|55||February 7, 1998||5–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98) ||26–20–9 ||

|56||February 25, 1998||1–1 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1997–98) ||26–20–10 ||

|57||February 26, 1998||7–4 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98) ||27–20–10 ||

|58||February 28, 1998||2–5 || style="text-align:left;"| St. Louis Blues (1997–98) ||27–21–10 ||

|59||March 2, 1998||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Vancouver Canucks (1997–98) ||27–21–11 ||

|60||March 5, 1998||1–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98) ||27–22–11 ||

|61||March 7, 1998||2–1 || style="text-align:left;"| Detroit Red Wings (1997–98) ||28–22–11 ||

|62||March 9, 1998||4–3 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98) ||29–22–11 ||

|63||March 10, 1998||4–3 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Phoenix Coyotes (1997–98) ||30–22–11 ||

|64||March 12, 1998||1–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98) ||30–23–11 ||

|65||March 14, 1998||5–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Colorado Avalanche (1997–98) ||31–23–11 ||

|66||March 16, 1998||1–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ San Jose Sharks (1997–98) ||31–24–11 ||

|67||March 17, 1998||3–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Dallas Stars (1997–98) ||31–25–11 ||

|68||March 21, 1998||3–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix Coyotes (1997–98) ||32–25–11 ||

|69||March 24, 1998||4–3 || style="text-align:left;"| @ San Jose Sharks (1997–98) ||33–25–11 ||

|70||March 26, 1998||2–5 || style="text-align:left;"| San Jose Sharks (1997–98) ||33–26–11 ||

|71||March 28, 1998||2–5 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Calgary Flames (1997–98) ||33–27–11 ||

|72||March 30, 1998||3–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98) ||34–27–11 ||

|73||April 1, 1998||0–4 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1997–98) ||34–28–11 ||

|74||April 2, 1998||0–3 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98) ||34–29–11 ||

|75||April 4, 1998||2–3 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Washington Capitals (1997–98) ||34–30–11 ||

|76||April 6, 1998||3–1 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Colorado Avalanche (1997–98) ||35–30–11 ||

|77||April 9, 1998||0–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Edmonton Oilers (1997–98) ||35–31–11 ||

|78||April 11, 1998||4–3 || style="text-align:left;"| Colorado Avalanche (1997–98) ||36–31–11 ||

|79||April 13, 1998||4–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Calgary Flames (1997–98) ||37–31–11 ||

|80||April 15, 1998||2–0 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1997–98) ||38–31–11 ||

|81||April 16, 1998||3–7 || style="text-align:left;"| St. Louis Blues (1997–98) ||38–32–11 ||

|82||April 18, 1998||1–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98) ||38–33–11 ||

Legend:

Playoffs

|1|| April 23, 1998 || 3–8 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues || Blues lead 1–0 ||

|2|| April 25, 1998 || 1–2 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues || Blues lead 2–0 ||

|3|| April 27, 1998 || 3–4 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues || Blues lead 3–0 ||

|4|| April 29, 1998 || 1–2 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues || Blues win 4–0 ||

Legend:

Player statistics

Scoring Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Kings only. = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Kings only. Player Regular season Playoffs 15 C 77 21 58 79 17 53 4 1 2 3 2 2 27 RW 81 29 31 60 6 54 4 2 0 2 2 6 9 LW 73 18 34 52 15 18 4 0 1 1 −1 8 4 D 81 23 27 50 −3 94 4 0 0 0 −4 6 44 C 79 28 20 48 6 32 4 1 2 3 −1 6 20 LW 57 16 24 40 5 66 4 1 2 3 1 6 23 LW 74 17 21 38 9 42 4 1 0 1 0 4 3 D 74 9 28 37 −5 63 4 0 1 1 −2 2 45 C 62 11 13 24 4 70 22 RW 77 6 15 21 0 131 4 1 0 1 0 6 19 RW 58 12 6 18 −2 27 4 0 0 0 −2 2 6 D 80 2 15 17 7 179 4 1 0 1 1 36 28 D 45 6 10 16 6 49 26 C 40 6 9 15 −10 42 3 0 1 1 1 2 14 D 73 1 12 13 14 90 4 0 0 0 −1 2 42 RW 65 3 9 12 9 33 2 0 0 0 −3 0 24 C 34 5 3 8 2 32 4 0 0 0 −2 2 7 LW 62 4 4 8 −9 150 3 0 1 1 1 8 5 D 72 0 8 8 3 61 4 0 3 3 3 0 2 D 46 0 8 8 0 111 2 0 0 0 0 2 10 C 22 5 2 7 −1 4 17 LW 66 2 4 6 −8 249 4 0 0 0 −1 6 33 D 21 1 5 6 8 10 2 0 1 1 1 2 11 RW 9 1 3 4 −1 4 12 C 25 0 3 3 −7 55 52 C 11 1 0 1 −7 4 35 G 60 0 1 1 8 2 0 0 0 0 43 LW 4 0 1 1 1 4 31 G 12 0 0 0 0 21 C 8 0 0 0 −5 6 1 G 17 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0

Goaltending Player Regular season Playoffs 35 Stephane Fiset 60 26 25 8 1728 158 2.71 .909 2 3497 2 0 2 61 7 4.52 .885 0 93 1 Jamie Storr 17 9 5 1 482 34 2.22 .929 2 920 3 0 2 77 9 3.72 .883 0 145 31 Frederic Chabot 12 3 3 2 267 29 3.14 .891 0 554 — — — — — — — — —

Awards and records

Awards TypeAward/honorRecipientRef League(annual) James Norris Memorial Trophy Rob Blake NHL All-Rookie Team Jamie Storr (Goaltender) NHL First All-Star Team Rob Blake (Defense) Team Best Newcomer Jozef StumpelLos Angeles Kings 2014–15 Media Guide, p. 201–03 Bill Libby Memorial Award Rob Blake Defensive Player Ian Laperriere Jim Fox Community Service Luc Robitaille Leading Scorer Jozef Stumpel Most Inspirational Rob Blake Most Popular Player Rob Blake Outstanding Defenseman Rob Blake Unsung Hero Mattias Norstrom

Milestones MilestonePlayerDateRef First game Olli Jokinen October 1, 1997 Donald MacLean 1,000th point Luc Robitaille January 29, 1998

Transactions The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 1997–98 season.

Trades