Jimmy Bramlett

From the drama in bankruptcy court to the weather to the game itself, the doom and gloom of Friday the 13th threatened the Dodgers. But in the end, the Dodgers said, "Bye Bye Birdie," en route to their 9-8 walk-off win against the San Diego Padres.

LA Kings defeat Vancouver Canucks 4-2. I don't know what to say. I understood why the Kings won Game 1 with the Canucks all but being no-shows. But Game 2?

There is a list of things that were shocking about the Kings’ domination of the Vancouver Canucks in their 4-2 Game 1 victory, perhaps none more than the fact the Kings actually won.

I wonder if along with the $2.15 billion spent on the Dodgers, the Guggenheim Group also greased the palms of MLB to get such a favorable schedule to start the season. With the 3-2 victory and the series sweep over the Pittsburgh Pirates and taking two of three in San Diego to start the season, the Dodgers now have a 6-1 record and welcome the San Diego Padres for a weekend series.

Minnesota Twins defeat LA Angels 10-9. The Angels' offense has rounded into shape in Minnesota scoring 29 runs in the three-game series. This despite the fact that Albert Pujols is only batting .217. Nope, it's the bullpen that's the bugaboo for the Angels.

LA Kings defeat Vancouver Canucks 4-2. It’s not a playoff series until the home team loses. Well it’s officially a series. Dustin Penner - yes, that Dustin Penner - scored the winning goal with just over three minutes remaining in regulation while Dustin Brown bagged the empty-netter to ice the game. Mike Richards and Willie Mitchell also scored power-play goals.

Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw was given his physical Cy Young Award in a pregame ceremony that must have sparked not only the Dodgers’ pitching but also their bats in their 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

There was much to celebrate at Dodger Stadium for the home opener, but it wasn’t the same. On the 50th anniversary to the day the first game was played (a 6-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds), the Dodgers known for squeezing the nostalgia out of a boulder did just that as they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1. But something was missing as the sun shone down on the verdant grass of Dodger Stadium. With the exception of the 1977 Masters, today marked the only other time since 1950 that Vin Scully did not call a Dodger home opener whether it be in Brooklyn or Los Angeles.

San Jose Sharks defeat LA Kings 3-2 (OT). It’s April, so the Kings can’t hold a lead against the San Jose Sharks. Even a 2-0 lead after two periods. As the eighth seed in the Western Conference, the Kings will face the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the playoffs.

LA Angels defeat Kansas City Royals 5-0. They added Albert Pujols to the lineup, got a healthy Kendrys Morales back, yet the Angels’ offense seemed awfully reminiscent of the anemic 2011 version. Thankfully they had their ace Jered Weaver to keep things rolling dueling with Royals’ starter Bruce Chen matching zeroes for six innings.

When the schedule came out, everybody circled the final home-and-home series against the San Jose Sharks knowing those two games would dictate a lot about playoff seedings and perhaps even division titles. Well look at what we had coming into Thursday night: the Pacific Division still undecided, the final playoff spots still in the air and a fight to the finish between the Kings and the Sharks.

LA Kings defeat Calgary Flames 3-0. For a team who were really on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, one would think Calgary would have played with a sense of urgency. Even trailing 2-0 with five minutes left, one would think Calgary would get some good offensive rushes going. But no.