# 1997–98 Los Angeles Kings season

The 1997–98 Los Angeles Kings season was the Kings' 31st season in the National Hockey League. 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

Pacific Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 231 | 205 | 95 |
| 2 | 5 | Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 38 | 33 | 11 | 227 | 225 | 87 |
| 3 | 7 | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 215 | 224 | 80 |
| 4 | 8 | San Jose Sharks | 82 | 34 | 38 | 10 | 210 | 216 | 78 |
| 5 | 11 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 26 | 41 | 15 | 217 | 252 | 67 |
| 6 | 12 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 82 | 26 | 43 | 13 | 205 | 261 | 65 |
| 7 | 13 | Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 25 | 43 | 14 | 224 | 273 | 64 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Western Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | p – Dallas Stars | CEN | 82 | 49 | 22 | 11 | 242 | 167 | 109 |
| 2 | x – Colorado Avalanche | PAC | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 231 | 205 | 95 |
| 3 | Detroit Red Wings | CEN | 82 | 44 | 23 | 15 | 250 | 196 | 103 |
| 4 | St. Louis Blues | CEN | 82 | 45 | 29 | 8 | 256 | 204 | 98 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Kings | PAC | 82 | 38 | 33 | 11 | 227 | 225 | 87 |
| 6 | Phoenix Coyotes | CEN | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 224 | 227 | 82 |
| 7 | Edmonton Oilers | PAC | 82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 215 | 224 | 80 |
| 8 | San Jose Sharks | PAC | 82 | 34 | 38 | 10 | 210 | 216 | 78 |
| 9 | Chicago Blackhawks | CEN | 82 | 30 | 39 | 13 | 192 | 199 | 73 |
| 10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | CEN | 82 | 30 | 43 | 9 | 194 | 237 | 69 |
| 11 | Calgary Flames | PAC | 82 | 26 | 41 | 15 | 217 | 252 | 67 |
| 12 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | PAC | 82 | 26 | 43 | 13 | 205 | 261 | 65 |
| 13 | Vancouver Canucks | PAC | 82 | 25 | 43 | 14 | 224 | 273 | 64 |
Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific
bold – Qualified for playoffs; x – Won Division; p – Won Presidents' Trophy

## 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

1997–98 regular season :
October: 5–5–4 (home: 3–3–0; road: 2–2–4)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1TOctober 1, 19973–3 OT@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98)0–0–1Recap
2LOctober 2, 19975–6@ Boston Bruins (1997–98)0–1–1Recap
3TOctober 5, 19972–2 OT@ New York Rangers (1997–98)0–1–2Recap
4TOctober 7, 19973–3 OT@ Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98)0–1–3Recap
5LOctober 9, 19972–3 OT@ St. Louis Blues (1997–98)0–2–3Recap
6WOctober 12, 19977–4Ottawa Senators (1997–98)1–2–3Recap
7LOctober 15, 19973–5Boston Bruins (1997–98)1–3–3Recap
8WOctober 17, 19975–1Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98)2–3–3Recap
9LOctober 19, 19972–3 OTEdmonton Oilers (1997–98)2–4–3Recap
10WOctober 21, 19973–2New York Islanders (1997–98)3–4–3Recap
11LOctober 23, 19971–4Detroit Red Wings (1997–98)3–5–3Recap
12WOctober 26, 19973–1@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98)4–5–3Recap
13TOctober 28, 19972–2 OT@ Florida Panthers (1997–98)4–5–4Recap
14WOctober 31, 19975–1@ Detroit Red Wings (1997–98)5–5–4Recap :
November: 7–4–1 (home: 5–2–0; road: 2–2–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
15LNovember 1, 19972–4@ New York Islanders (1997–98)5–6–4Recap
16WNovember 4, 19973–0@ New Jersey Devils (1997–98)6–6–4Recap
17WNovember 6, 19975–2Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98)7–6–4Recap
18LNovember 8, 19971–4Montreal Canadiens (1997–98)7–7–4Recap
19WNovember 11, 19978–2Vancouver Canucks (1997–98)8–7–4Recap
20WNovember 13, 19976–3San Jose Sharks (1997–98)9–7–4Recap
21LNovember 15, 19971–5Dallas Stars (1997–98)9–8–4Recap
22WNovember 20, 19974–3Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98)10–8–4Recap
23WNovember 23, 19972–1 OT@ Colorado Avalanche (1997–98)11–8–4Recap
24LNovember 26, 19971–4@ Dallas Stars (1997–98)11–9–4Recap
25TNovember 27, 19972–2 OT@ St. Louis Blues (1997–98)11–9–5Recap
26WNovember 29, 19974–1New Jersey Devils (1997–98)12–9–5Recap :
December: 4–7–2 (home: 2–2–1; road: 2–5–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
27LDecember 3, 19970–2@ Montreal Canadiens (1997–98)12–10–5Recap
28LDecember 4, 19972–3@ Ottawa Senators (1997–98)12–11–5Recap
29LDecember 6, 19972–7@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98)12–12–5Recap
30LDecember 9, 19971–2Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98)12–13–5Recap
31TDecember 13, 19972–2 OTWashington Capitals (1997–98)12–13–6Recap
32LDecember 15, 19970–7@ Vancouver Canucks (1997–98)12–14–6Recap
33WDecember 18, 19975–2Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98)13–14–6Recap
34WDecember 20, 19974–1@ Calgary Flames (1997–98)14–14–6Recap
35WDecember 22, 19971–0@ Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98)15–14–6Recap
36LDecember 23, 19971–5@ Colorado Avalanche (1997–98)15–15–6Recap
37LDecember 27, 19972–4Phoenix Coyotes (1997–98)15–16–6Recap
38WDecember 29, 19975–2Vancouver Canucks (1997–98)16–16–6Recap
39TDecember 31, 19972–2 OT@ Dallas Stars (1997–98)16–16–7Recap :
January: 7–3–2 (home: 5–1–1; road: 2–2–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
40LJanuary 1, 19980–4@ Phoenix Coyotes (1997–98)16–17–7Recap
41WJanuary 4, 19983–2@ Edmonton Oilers (1997–98)17–17–7Recap
42LJanuary 5, 19982–3@ Vancouver Canucks (1997–98)17–18–7Recap
43TJanuary 8, 19982–2 OTBuffalo Sabres (1997–98)17–18–8Recap
44LJanuary 10, 19983–4Edmonton Oilers (1997–98)17–19–8Recap
45WJanuary 12, 19983–2 OTMighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98)18–19–8Recap
46WJanuary 14, 19984–2@ San Jose Sharks (1997–98)19–19–8Recap
47WJanuary 20, 19984–3Calgary Flames (1997–98)20–19–8Recap
48WJanuary 22, 19983–1Florida Panthers (1997–98)21–19–8Recap
49TJanuary 24, 19983–3 OT@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98)21–19–9Recap
50WJanuary 29, 19985–3Calgary Flames (1997–98)22–19–9Recap
51WJanuary 31, 19983–0Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98)23–19–9Recap :
February: 4–2–1 (home: 1–1–0; road: 3–1–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
52LFebruary 2, 19980–1@ Edmonton Oilers (1997–98)23–20–9Recap
53WFebruary 3, 19986–3@ Calgary Flames (1997–98)24–20–9Recap
54WFebruary 5, 19983–1New York Rangers (1997–98)25–20–9Recap
55WFebruary 7, 19985–2@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98)26–20–9Recap
56TFebruary 25, 19981–1 OT@ Detroit Red Wings (1997–98)26–20–10Recap
57WFebruary 26, 19987–4@ Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98)27–20–10Recap
58LFebruary 28, 19982–5St. Louis Blues (1997–98)27–21–10Recap :
March: 7–6–1 (home: 4–4–1; road: 3–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
59TMarch 2, 19982–2 OTVancouver Canucks (1997–98)27–21–11Recap
60LMarch 5, 19981–2Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98)27–22–11Recap
61WMarch 7, 19982–1Detroit Red Wings (1997–98)28–22–11Recap
62WMarch 9, 19984–3 OTMighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98)29–22–11Recap
63WMarch 10, 19984–3@ Phoenix Coyotes (1997–98)30–22–11Recap
64LMarch 12, 19981–2Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98)30–23–11Recap
65WMarch 14, 19985–2Colorado Avalanche (1997–98)31–23–11Recap
66LMarch 16, 19981–2@ San Jose Sharks (1997–98)31–24–11Recap
67LMarch 17, 19983–4Dallas Stars (1997–98)31–25–11Recap
68WMarch 21, 19983–2Phoenix Coyotes (1997–98)32–25–11Recap
69WMarch 24, 19984–3@ San Jose Sharks (1997–98)33–25–11Recap
70LMarch 26, 19982–5San Jose Sharks (1997–98)33–26–11Recap
71LMarch 28, 19982–5@ Calgary Flames (1997–98)33–27–11Recap
72WMarch 30, 19983–2@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98)34–27–11Recap :
April: 4–6–0 (home: 2–3–0; road: 2–3–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
73LApril 1, 19980–4@ Buffalo Sabres (1997–98)34–28–11Recap
74LApril 2, 19980–3@ Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98)34–29–11Recap
75LApril 4, 19982–3@ Washington Capitals (1997–98)34–30–11Recap
76WApril 6, 19983–1@ Colorado Avalanche (1997–98)35–30–11Recap
77LApril 9, 19980–4Edmonton Oilers (1997–98)35–31–11Recap
78WApril 11, 19984–3Colorado Avalanche (1997–98)36–31–11Recap
79WApril 13, 19984–2Calgary Flames (1997–98)37–31–11Recap
80WApril 15, 19982–0@ Vancouver Canucks (1997–98)38–31–11Recap
81LApril 16, 19983–7St. Louis Blues (1997–98)38–32–11Recap
82LApril 18, 19981–4Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98)38–33–11Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

### Playoffs

1998 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (4) St. Louis Blues: Blues win 4–0
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1LApril 23, 19983–8@ St. Louis BluesBlues lead 1–0Recap
2LApril 25, 19981–2@ St. Louis BluesBlues lead 2–0Recap
3LApril 27, 19983–4St. Louis BluesBlues lead 3–0Recap
4LApril 29, 19981–2St. Louis BluesBlues win 4–0Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## 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.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 15 | Jozef Stumpel | C | 77 | 21 | 58 | 79 | 17 | 53 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 27 | Glen Murray | RW | 81 | 29 | 31 | 60 | 6 | 54 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 9 | Vladimir Tsyplakov | LW | 73 | 18 | 34 | 52 | 15 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 8 |
| 4 | Rob Blake | D | 81 | 23 | 27 | 50 | −3 | 94 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 6 |
| 44 | Yanic Perreault | C | 79 | 28 | 20 | 48 | 6 | 32 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 6 |
| 20 | Luc Robitaille | LW | 57 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 5 | 66 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 23 | Craig Johnson | LW | 74 | 17 | 21 | 38 | 9 | 42 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Garry Galley | D | 74 | 9 | 28 | 37 | −5 | 63 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −2 | 2 |
| 45 | Sandy Moger | C | 62 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 4 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | Ian Laperriere | RW | 77 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 0 | 131 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 19 | Russ Courtnall† | RW | 58 | 12 | 6 | 18 | −2 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 2 |
| 6 | Sean O'Donnell | D | 80 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 7 | 179 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 36 |
| 28 | Philippe Boucher | D | 45 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 6 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | Ray Ferraro | C | 40 | 6 | 9 | 15 | −10 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 14 | Mattias Norstrom | D | 73 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 90 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| 42 | Dan Bylsma | RW | 65 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 0 |
| 24 | Nathan LaFayette | C | 34 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 2 |
| 7 | Steve McKenna | LW | 62 | 4 | 4 | 8 | −9 | 150 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 5 | Aki Berg | D | 72 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 61 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | Doug Zmolek | D | 46 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 111 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Donald MacLean | C | 22 | 5 | 2 | 7 | −1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | Matt Johnson | LW | 66 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −8 | 249 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 6 |
| 33 | Jan Vopat | D | 21 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | Brad Smyth‡ | RW | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | Roman Vopat | C | 25 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −7 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 52 | Jason Morgan | C | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | Stephane Fiset | G | 60 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 43 | Vitali Yachmenev | LW | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | Frederic Chabot | G | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 21 | Olli Jokinen | C | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −5 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | Jamie Storr | G | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |

### Goaltending

| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 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

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | James Norris Memorial Trophy | Rob Blake |
| League (annual) | NHL All-Rookie Team | Jamie Storr (Goaltender) |
| League (annual) | NHL First All-Star Team | Rob Blake (Defense) |
| Team | Best Newcomer | Jozef Stumpel |
| Team | Bill Libby Memorial Award | Rob Blake |
| Team | Defensive Player | Ian Laperriere |
| Team | Jim Fox Community Service | Luc Robitaille |
| Team | Leading Scorer | Jozef Stumpel |
| Team | Most Inspirational | Rob Blake |
| Team | Most Popular Player | Rob Blake |
| Team | Outstanding Defenseman | Rob Blake |
| Team | Unsung Hero | Mattias Norstrom |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Olli Jokinen | October 1, 1997 |
| First game | Donald MacLean | October 1, 1997 |
| 1,000th point | Luc Robitaille | January 29, 1998 |

## Transactions

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

### Trades

| August 28, 1997 | To Los Angeles KingsLuc Robitaille | To New York RangersKevin Stevens |
| August 29, 1997 | To Los Angeles KingsJozef Stümpel Sandy Moger 4th round pick in 1998 - Pierre Dagenais | To Boston BruinsByron Dafoe Dmitri Khristich |
| November 14, 1997 | To Los Angeles KingsFuture considerations | To New York RangersBrad Smyth |

### Free agent signings

| July 5, 1997 | From Buffalo SabresGarry Galley (3 years, $4.8 million) |
| July 18, 1997 | From Milwaukee Admirals (IHL)Mark Visheau |
| July 25, 1997 | From New York IslandersChris Taylor |
| September 3, 1997 | From Florida PanthersFrédéric Chabot |
| November 7, 1997 | From New York RangersRuss Courtnall (1 year, $940,000) |

### Free agents lost

| August 11, 1997 | To Buffalo SabresPatrice Tardif |
| August 15, 1997 | To San Jose SharksBarry Potomski |
| August 18, 1997 | To Phoenix CoyotesJohn Slaney (1 year, $350,000) |
| September 4, 1997 | To Phoenix CoyotesBrad Tiley |

## Draft picks

Los Angeles's draft picks at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 3 | Olli Jokinen | Finland | HIFK (Finland) |
| 1 | 15 | Matt Zultek | Canada | Ottawa 67's (OHL) |
| 2 | 29 | Scott Barney | Canada | Peterborough Petes (OHL) |
| 4 | 83 | Joe Corvo | United States | Western Michigan University (CCHA) |
| 4 | 99 | Sean Blanchard | Canada | Ottawa 67's (OHL) |
| 6 | 137 | Richard Seeley | Canada | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) |
| 6 | 150 | Jeff Katcher | Canada | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) |
| 8 | 193 | Jay Kopischke | United States | North Iowa Huskies (USHL) |
| 9 | 220 | Konrad Brand | Canada | Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) |