The Los Angeles Kings’ season ended on Sunday, Apr. 26 in a 1-5 defeat in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs to the Colorado Avalanche, the President’s Trophy winners and Stanley Cup favorites.
It’s a tough but familiar feeling for Kings fans, who have watched their team lose in the first round of the playoffs for five years in a row. This year was also the first time the Kings were swept in a series since 2018.
Still, the Kings gave the Avalanche trouble and gave fans an entertaining series. Games one and two were both narrowly lost by one goal, with game two going into overtime after two late goals from each team.
The Kings’ defense had several standout moments early in the series, holding one of the most lethal offenses in the NHL to low scoring affairs. In particular, Kings goalie Anton Forsberg had an average save percentage of 90.3% and a standout performance in each game.
Yet, it was ultimately offensive struggles that killed the Kings in the series.
When asked what the Kings needed to do to beat the Avalanche, former King Wayne Gretzky, widely known as the best NHL player ever, said, “They just need to score,” which summed up their offensive performance over the four games.
The Kings did a great job of putting shots on goal, including out-shooting the Avalanche in game three, but were not able to put the puck in the back of the net.
The last game of the season was also a bittersweet goodbye to center and captain Anze Kopitar, who announced that he would retire after this season. Kopitar became the all-time leading scorer of the Kings in March, and his nineteen-year career with the team will remain a storied part of the franchise forever.
Kopitar was eleventh overall in the 2005 draft, becoming the first Slovenian to ever play in the NHL. He didn’t start for a year, but in his first game he scored two goals, immediately establishing himself as one of the game’s most prominent young stars. He’d go on to score the most points for a Kings rookie in nineteen years and place fourth in the vote for Rookie of the Year.
In 2012, Kopitar helped lead the Kings to their first Stanley Cup win with eight goals and 12 assists. To recognize his being the first Slovenian to ever hoist the Cup, Kopitar was named the Slovenian 2012 Male Athlete of the Year.
The Kings claimed their second Stanley Cup in 2014, largely thanks to Kopitar’s excellence in the playoffs. He led the league in postseason points with 26 points (five goals, 21 assists).
While the Kings haven’t returned to the Stanley Cup finals since 2014, Kopitar’s stellar play has earned him two Frank J. Selke trophies, three Lady Byng Memorial trophies, and five all-star nominations. In 2016, he was named the Kings’ captain, replacing Dustin Brown who retired in 2022.
For the Avalanche, this series marks the continuation of dominance since the regular season. They won 55 games in the regular season and earned 121 points, making them first in the Central Division and in the entire league.
They will play the winners of the Dallas Stars-Minnesota Wild series, which is widely considered the most even matchup in the playoffs.
Looking at other teams in the Pacific Division, the Anaheim Ducks are still in the playoffs (unfortunately). Despite being heavy underdogs to the Edmonton Oilers and superstar Connor McDavid, the Ducks are doing surprisingly well. The Southern California team has dropped 20 goals against the Oilers and is up in the series 3 games to one as of Apr. 27.
For any hockey fan, this year’s playoffs have gifted several close and entertaining games, and there will be many more to come.
With about a month of hockey left to be played, it’s anyone’s guess who will hoist the Stanley Cup in June.
