So it begins.
Game 83 is upon us, and while the Kings are set to begin a Stanley Cup Playoff journey for the fifth consecutive season, this one has a different feel to it — along with a different opponent.
After four straight years of dealing with the McDavid & Draisaitl Show in the first round, times they are a changing. That streak is now over, with the aforementioned duo being replaced by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Along with those two superstars are the rest of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche squad, who have dominated everybody this season.
From a forward standpoint, not many clubs have the speed and scoring ability of Colorado. Joining Makar on defense is a group that includes Devon Toews and a handful of other rearguards that will likely make this series a real handful for coach DJ Smith and the Kings.
Speaking of Los Angeles, while this afternoon is officially their first playoff contest of 2026, they’ve been playing must-win hockey for more than a month at this point. In a bizarre, confusing, bewildering, rollercoaster season, somehow the Kings are in the postseason dance for a shot at winning it all. After taking over behind the bench late in the regular season, Smith promised a more impressive and more engaged style of hockey — words he delivered on.
With a new intensity and aggressive mindset, things not only turned around, the Kings eventually missed out on home ice advantage by just a few points.
Now, here they are. On the road against the best team in hockey. National coverage of this series is heavily skewed toward Colorado; few are giving the Kings much of a chance — and for good reason, given LA’s erratic play over much of the previous 82 contests.
So how can things be different now?
Smith and his group feel that if they can keep play at 5-on-5, they can play with the Avs. They also have a hot goaltender in Anton Forsberg, who pretty much carried this team on his back throughout the final two weeks of the season. Finally, they now have a superstar talent in Artemi Panarin.
The truth is, if the Kings were going up against a team like the Oilers or Ducks, the outside noise might sound a little different. Against Colorado, the Kings will need to play near-perfect hockey to come out of the series with four victories. It all starts with earning at least a split on the road and then trying to take care of business at home. Being a major underdog is a place this franchise has been before. The odds are not in their favor on paper, but lucky for the Kings, these games are played on the ice.
Getting Ready for What’s Ahead
Following a full-team practice before boarding their plane for Colorado, Smith declared – “Everyone’s available, except for Kevin.” Meaning Jeff Malott is good to go for today, as is Andrei Kuzmenko. Will the later draw in against the Avalanche? Well, he’s been activated from injured reserve, so that’s at least a step in the right direction.
“[When] I look at their analytics, they’re first in I don’t know how many categories — everything that moves, really,” Smith remarked, when sizing up the series. “They have tons of offense. Their D are involved in the offense. But they don’t get enough credit — they play a lot of defense, as well. So, you can look at that, but this is going to be a brand-new animal here in this series. I like our group. I like that we fit into our roles. I think sometimes you just need the right chemistry or whatever to get a team going, and I think we’re there. It’s going to be a tough test, but we’re going to go in there and we’re going to push back.”
Beyond that, what else do the Kings need to do to win this series?
“You have to manage when they really take over a game and limit that to shorter periods, rather than having it carry on shift after shift,” Smith explained. “Someone has to go out there and have a good shift and stop it. And let’s be honest — we’re going to have to have some guys play outside their comfort zone. We’re going to have to have some guys outperform maybe what they are. And that’s what has to happen for teams to knock off a Presidents’ Trophy winner. You need a special performance by one, two, maybe three guys for two weeks. And we have guys in the room that can do it.”
Beyond the guys with tons of playoff experience, Smith things one LA’s future cornerstone players is primed for a postseason performance.
“Q has arrived,” declared the Kings bench boss. “There’s some guys that really play well, and I think Quinton has always been a good player in this league, and he was waiting for the time. I think Quinton has arrived and feels it himself. I think we’re seeing it, but we’re a different team when he has the opportunity to be the man. And he’s only going to get more and more chances, and only going to get better and better.”
What Byfield and some of the younger players are building has been noticed by Smith and the entire coaching staff too.
“The camaraderie [they have] comes from — you got a bunch of young guys that all hang out,” he said. “In order for them to feel like they can really sway the room, they have to start being the important ones. The Clarkes, the Laferrieres, these guys, Q — these guys got to be out there in the big moments for the room to go with them. And that’s the next generation coming. Q is going to be the man, and he’s showed it over 20-some-odd days. If you call it the “Q following” — or his group of guys — that young group is having fun. They have fun on the plane, they have fun on the road, and they’re contributing and they’re taking a piece of the action every day. I think it’s huge. You’ve always had Kopi and Dewy and those guys doing it. And having these young guys feel important and contribute every night, knowing it’s on them — I think that’s allowed the group to mesh together and give us a chance.”
The Players Have Spoken
A veteran like Drew Doughty has been here before. The playoffs aren’t anything new to him, but this series does bring unique challenges.
“We just have to stay focused, play our game,” began the veteran defenseman. “There are going to be moments where we’re going to feel like they’re down our throats and they’re dominating us. But if we can weather that storm and just reset — forget about what had just happened — I think we’ll be in a good spot. It’s a tough matchup for us, but we believe we can get that upset done.”
Doughty also had some praise for Byfield, who is perhaps emerging for the Kings at just the right time.
“He’s been playing unbelievable,” stated the two-time Stanley Cup Champion. “I think he’s been our best player since D.J. took over. He’s dominated games both offensively and defensively.”
Adrian Kempe shared some of those same thoughts.
“He’s been playing really well. I think that whole line has been really, really good for us down the stretch here. They create a lot of turnovers. They take their guy on and create a lot of chances — not just off the rush, but in the zone as well. Combine that with solid defensive play against some top lines in the league — it’s going to be a big key for us in this series, as well, obviously against some of the best players in the world. Just looking forward to seeing him keep going.”
The Swedish born forward is also looking at things through a little bit of a broader lens heading into Game 1.
“We’ve definitely had the experience of tight games, so hopefully we can play a similar style in the playoffs,” Kempe remarked. “And, obviously, it doesn’t go to three-on-three — it just keeps going five-on-five. I think we’re really comfortable playing five-on-five. We’ve been doing a really good job over the last couple months. It’s going to be a different type of game. Playoffs, everything ramps up a little bit. Physicality, details, all that kind of stuff. Less turnovers, less chances for, less chances against. It’s very fine details. But I think we’re ready and [we’re] very excited for this opportunity.”
Statistically Speaking
— The Kings and Avalanche will be meeting up for the third time in postseason history. It has been more than two decades since the clubs faced off in the postseason, first matching up in the 2001 Western Conference Semifinals before meeting again in the 2002 Western Conference Quarterfinals.
— Anze Kopitar, who became the Kings’ all-time leader in points this season, is set to enter his 11th career Stanley Cup Playoffs — which would surpass Doughty and Luc Robitaille (10) for the second-most in team history behind Dave Taylor (13). Kopitar sits six points shy of passing Wayne Gretzky for the all-time title in playoff points for the team. In doing so, he would become the sixth active skater to hold a franchise’s outright points lead in both the regular-season and playoffs. The others: Aleksander Barkov (FLA), Sidney Crosby (PIT), Jonathan Marchessault (VGK), Alex Ovechkin (WSH) and Mark Scheifele (WPG).
— Kempe has accumulated 15 goals and 29 points through his first 28 career playoff games with the Kings. Per NHL PR, he needs just one point to join Wayne Gretzky and Bernie Nicholls as the third player to record 30 or more points through his first 30 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests with the Kings.
— The Avalanche and Kings played against each other in the season-opening game for both clubs on Oct. 7, 2025. This has only happened four times across the NHL over the past 10 years, including with the Kings and Sharks back in 2015-16.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Avs
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Panarin – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Byfield – Laferriere
Armia – Laughton – Wright
Joseph/Kuzmenko – Helenius – Malott
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Forsberg (starter)
Kuemper
Likely scratches: (F) Joesph/Kuzmenko, Turcotte, Ward and (D) Moverare and (G) Copley
Injured Reserve: Fiala (injury status updates here)
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 12:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised locally by FanDuel Sports. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app.
More on the Kings’ changing TV situation for next season can be found here.
Across the Ice
Colorado had a full team skate yesterday. Here’s how the lines shaped up, and how things are projected to look this afternoon:
Lehkonen – MacKinnon – Necas
Kelly – Nelson – Nichushkin
Landeskog – Kadri – Roy
Colton – Drury – O’Connor
Makar – Toews
Kulak – Manson
Blankenburg – Burns
Wedgewood (starter)
Blackwood
On This Day in Kings History
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