What we learned from the Kings’ 2-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks

The Kings moved both a step closer to the playoffs and a day closer to the end of the regular season Friday with a 2-0 victory over Vancouver to pull to within eight points of the Nashville Predators for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with five games to play.

With St. Louis and Calgary both clinching postseason spots Friday, Nashville is the only team left within reach of the Kings in the playoff race. There are a couple of scenarios under which the Kings can catch them, but, after winning their last two, they’ll have to stay hot, winning at least four of their last five, to have a chance.

The Kings have won six times in a seven-game stretch just once this season.

Here’s what we learned from Friday’s game:

Jarome Iginla is the best 39-year-old winger the Kings have ever acquired at the trade deadline

Since coming over from Colorado just minutes before the trade window closed, Iginla has scored six goals in 14 games — and every one seems to be either a milestone goal or a game-winning one.

His goal Friday was both: The second-period power-play score not only put the Kings ahead to stay but, as the 625th of Iginla’s 20-year career, it also tied Joe Sakic for 15th on the all-time NHL list.

The goal was his third in three games on the Kings’ final regular-season trip out of Southern California and the second consecutive game-winner.

“Every goal he scores, every point he gets, he goes right up there,” Coach Darryl Sutter said. “He’s one of those guys who deserves to win a Stanley Cup.”

It’s may be easier to get a puck past goalie Jonathan Quick than it is to get a decent quote out of him

Quick doesn’t speak to reporters often. But he did Saturday after an impressive performance in which he made a season-high 35 saves to record his second shutout of the season. However anyone looking for a revealing comment came away as frustrated as the Vancouver Canucks.

On whether the game was his best of an injury-abbreviated season: “It’s about two points, you know? So we were able to get it tonight and get ready for the next one now.”

On whether things are starting to line up for the team’s playoff chase: “We’re trying to win a hockey game Sunday. That’s all you’re really looking at.”

Thanks Jonathan.

The Kings’ margin of error remains thin, but hope lives

The Kings climbed onto their final charter flight of the regular season trailing Nashville for the final Western Conference wild-card berth by eight points with five games — worth a maximum of 10 points — to play.

If they win all five and Nashville — which plays an early game Saturday — loses its final five, the Kings go to the playoffs. If the teams finish even in points, the Kings will move on based on the NHL tiebreaker: more regulation and overtime wins.

However, any combination of Nashville wins and Kings losses that total two will send the Predators to the postseason.

“We’re just playing for us,” said Tyler Toffoli, who scored the Kings’ second goal Friday. “Playing to win games and everything else is out of our control, so just doing our best to get two points every night from here on out.”

Added Iginla: “We’re not going to give up. We’ve got to make sure that we do our part and the focus [is] just to try to work tonight, not anything way down the road. Teams can go cold in a week. It happens, and we’ve just got to focus on ourselves and make sure we get hot for this week, so nobody’s quitting. It’s not even a lot of talk about what the odds are or whatever. Now it’s just about getting home and winning the next game.”

kevin.baxter@latimes.com

Twitter: kbaxter11