Atlanta qualified for the post-season for the second time in franchise history, and would face the Los Angeles Kings in a best-of-three preliminary round series.
The series opened at The Forum in Inglewood, California, and the Kings scored in the first minute of play, as Tom Williams beat goaltender Dan Bouchard to give Los Angeles a 1–0 lead.
In the third period, the Flames cut the Kings lead to 2–1 after a goal by Barry Gibbs, however, that's as close as Atlanta would get, as Los Angeles held on for the 2–1 victory.
Both goaltenders played great games, however, the Kings Bob Berry scored with 1:44 remaining in the third period, as Los Angeles held on to beat the Flames 1–0.
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes †Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Atlanta.