Although they finished the season with 95 points, and the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, they went on to capture the first Stanley Cup championship in team history.
[3] On December 20, 2011, the Kings hired Darryl Sutter to be their head coach, replacing Stevens.
[4] With only one month to play in the regular season, the Kings were tenth in the Western Conference, two seeds away from a playoff spot.
Securing the eighth and final playoff seed in their 81st (and second-to-last game), a shoot-out loss to their arch rivals, the San Jose Sharks.
[5][6] The Kings made the playoffs for the third consecutive season, needing a win in the final game to secure the eighth seed.
They then defeated the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals, becoming the first eighth seed in North American professional sports history to win a championship.