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Kings end regular season with three on the road and playoff spot at stake

April 12, 2026

LOS ANGELES –– The Kings will take to the skies, hoping for a soft landing in the Northwest that will extend their season into the playoffs.

After finally getting their groove back at home during a 5-1-1 residency, the Kings will finish their campaign with three games in four nights that’ll transport them to Seattle on Monday, Vancouver on Tuesday and Calgary on Thursday.

Hanging in the balance will be a postseason berth, which they currently hold by a single point over the Nashville Predators, who have just two games remaining. The Kings (87 points), who’ve captured four straight to match their longest string of Ws this season, have upward mobility as well.

While catching the Vegas Golden Knights seemed challenging even with a game in hand because of a four-point deficit, catching up to Edmonton (three points behind, one game in hand on Sunday morning), Utah (three points behind) or the Ducks (two points behind) could elevate their position and avert a first-round matchup with the Stanley Cup favorite Colorado Avalanche.

“The belief in this locker room has gone up and spiked, which is obviously a very good thing,” said captain Anže Kopitar, who will retire at season’s end.

The homestand featured a 1-0 shutout of the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, two games after a sloppy yet vital 7-6 edging of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It also saw a split with Nashville, with both games requiring shootouts.

“Every single guy in this locker room is putting the team first and the winning mentality first. We’re trying to win games, whether it’s one-nothing or 7-6,” Kopitar said.

On the road trip, the Kings will face three teams that are not bound for the postseason. They also control their own destiny: if they collect four or more of a possible six points, they will qualify for spring hockey regardless of what any team chasing them accomplishes.

“We’re set up pretty well right now, but there’s more business to take care of,” Kopitar said.

The Kings’ ostensibly favorable schedule will be accompanied by the obvious pitfalls of a dense slate with travel, as well as some more subtle ones.

The Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames have each won five of their past six meetings with the Kings. Seattle has taken all three matchups this season, with both of their goaltenders performing effectively against the Kings over time. Calgary has won two of three, and Dustin Wolf has a career 4-1-0 record with a .958 save percentage and 1.18 goals-against average when facing the black-and-silver-clad club he grew up supporting.

The Kings have beaten Vancouver three times already this season, including twice during the Canucks’ latest doldrums, during which they’ve dropped 10 of 11 decisions. Yet the Kings have only swept Vancouver once in their history, way back in 1980-81.

The arrival of Artemi Panarin and the promotion of interim head coach D.J. Smith have both invigorated the Kings’ offense. Since the coaching change, the Kings are scoring more than half a goal per game more than they were under Jim Hiller, moving from the bottom of the league to the middle of the pack offensively during that span.

“The group obviously has a lot more energy. It’s hard to not notice that out there. We’re coming a little bit harder on the forecheck and we’re creating a lot more offense because of it. I feel like we’re trying to play faster,” said goalie Anton Forsberg, whose stellar play of late should assure him at least two of the three starts on the trip.

“He’s a loud human being in the room, and he’s always happy,” Forsberg continued. “It’s been good for our group. It’s great. You need someone to be able to speak to the team and get the message out there.”

Orange County Register

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Kings end regular season with three on the road and playoff spot at stake

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