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Kings host Predators in key wild-card showdown

April 5, 2026

LOS ANGELES — The Kings will take the ice for the most important match of their season on Monday as they look to tame the Nashville Predators for the first time this year.

These two sides are deadlocked in a points tie for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference. Nashville broke a three-way traffic jam on Saturday via a 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks and the Kings prevailed in a wildly unpredictable, and at times unprofessional, match against Toronto, 7-6 in overtime.

For the Kings, however, all that mattered were the two vital points.

“If we played great and we lost 3-2 tonight to a top goaltending display, I’d sit here and not feel any better with a moral victory,” interim coach D.J. Smith said. “So we’re going to take that and we’re going to take the two points, and then we’re just going to throw the tape away and we’re going to move on to the next one.”

“The next one” will pit them against the Preds, whom they played nearly six months apart in the two prior meetings with identical results: 5-4 losses at the end of two extended shootouts.

Darcy Kuemper started both those games in net, though, since his return from an upper-body injury on Jan. 1, backup Anton Forsberg has been the stronger performer. Forsberg has posted a save percentage that’s 38 points higher than Kuemper’s (.908 versus .870) in that span and allowed about half a goal less per game, which hasn’t upended the netminding hierarchy.

Kuemper has allowed 15 goals in his past three starts, while Forsberg has yielded nine in his last three nods plus a one-period relief appearance after Kuemper got the hook against Utah.

“I’m going to talk to (goalie coach Mike Buckley), and I’m going to talk to management. I’m going to talk to everyone involved and see where we’re going with our lineup in general, not just (Kuemper),” Smith said. “I mean, there were some guys that played really well, then there were some guys that didn’t play well at all (against Toronto). So there has to be accountability for how you play, and if there’s somebody that can come in and help us, we’re going to do it.”

On Saturday, the reverence for Anže Kopitar persisted, as the Maple Leafs saluted him with handshakes and best wishes as he hurled toward retirement. They did so off the ice, at his request, per another likely hall of famer, John Tavares.

Monday will mark Kopitar’s final meeting with some other formidable foes of his generation: Conn Smythe winners Ryan O’Reilly and Jonathan Marcessault, as well as Norris Trophy honoree Roman Josi and two-time Stanley Cup champ Steven Stamkos. At age 36, Stamkos can still snipe. He leads Nashville with 38 goals.

Orange County Register

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Kings host Predators in key wild-card showdown

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