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Kings look to make playoff push as schedule softens

March 18, 2026

The Kings will simply not fade from the postseason picture, and on Thursday night they’ll host the first of 10 non-playoff opponents in their final 15 games when they welcome a fellow Expansion Six franchise, the Philadelphia Flyers.

They picked up seven of a possible 10 points on the road, bringing them to 32 of 42 overall in their four trips of five games or more this season. Though those outings accounted for 31% of their schedule, their work during extended travel comprises 45% of their point total.

It’s good enough to place them in a points tie with the Seattle Kraken, whom they will play once more in the Pacific Northwest on April 13.

While that date might have the darkest circle around it on the Kings’ calendar, each tilt will be of critical importance. Even as captain Anže Kopitar surpassed Marcel Dionne as the all-time leading point-producer in franchise history – Kopitar took 1,505 games to break a record Dionne set in 921, albeit in a higher-scoring era – the focus was on competing down the stretch.

“We’re right in the thick of things right now, so there’s not a whole lot of time to think about that,” Kopitar told reporters following a 6-4 loss in New Jersey, the Kings’ only regulation defeat during the five-game swing.

Kopitar is enjoying a resurgence since trade acquisition Artemi Panarin moved to his flank. The newly formed top trio accounted for 12 of the Kings’ 25 goals during the eight games they skated together between Feb. 28 and Saturday.

The Kings had lost five straight games and won just five of their past 18 with Kopitar in the lineup before he teamed with right-hand man Adrian Kempe and Panarin. They’ve gone 5-3-1 since, with Panarin scoring 11 points in those nine games and Kopitar notching eight points, his most productive stretch of the campaign.

“He’s been unbelievable and he continues to be one of our best players, every single night, right now,” interim coach D.J. Smith told reporters.

Kempe had also heated up, compiling 10 points in eight appearances. But he was a last-second scratch with a lower-body injury in Monday’s 4-1 win over the New York Rangers. He likely sustained the injury a game prior against the Devils, with his day-to-day designation being equal parts hopeful – he entered Madison Square Garden in a walking boot – and desperate, given that he took warmups in Manhattan and could be considered a game-time decision against Philadelphia.

The Kings beat the Flyers on Jan. 31, 3-2 in overtime, at Wells Fargo Center. Kempe tallied twice to give the Kings a 2-0 lead before Philly conducted a forechecking clinic to force overtime. There, Kempe set up Quinton Byfield’s overtime winner.

Though the Flyers’ playoff aspirations were flickering weakly, they had gone 6-2-1 entering a back-to-back set with the Ducks and Kings. They were paced in scoring by mainstay Travis Konecny and newcomer Trevor Zegras, who was acquired from the Ducks in a June trade.

FLYERS AT KINGS

When: Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Crypto.com Arena

TV: FDSN West

Orange County Register

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Kings look to make playoff push as schedule softens

FLYERS AT KINGS

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