Game Day Thread
Game #76/82 - 4/4/26
>>4:00pm<<
on
FanDuel SoCal
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Los Angeles Kings
Crypto.com Arena | Los Angeles, CA
MEXICAN HERITAGE NIGHT
**Game Time 4:00pm**
TV: FanDuel SoCal
Radio: ESPN LA app, Kings app, & Sirius
ESPNLA 710 AM
Check Out More Articles & Video on LA Kings Insider Here
Anze Kopitar & DJ Smith 4/2 Post-Game Quotes
On only getting one point from tonight’s game
Obviously you want to get the two points. We didn’t get them, we’ll take the one. Certainly not the start that we wanted, but the fight, the character this group showed is obviously encouraging. We’re going to need that kind fight going forward.
On the mentality for the team over the final seven games
It’s a playoffs-type of mentality from here on out, if we want to get to the playoffs. It’s a lot of intensity, a lot of desperation and we’ve just got to do it right from the drop of the puck and right until the very end.
On what he felt the turning point in the game was tonight
Scoring the next goal. If it goes to 5-1, it’s most likely done, but we got it to 4-2 and 4-3 was huge going into the second intermission. We kept pressing and pressing and we just got the equalizer but couldn’t get the couldn’t get the door closed.
On another slow start tonight
I mean, it happens, definitely not ideal, but even after a slow start, you’ve just got to put it behind you and go. I mean, it’s really one goal at a time. We fought back.
On if it has sunk in at all that these could be his final seven games, if the Kings miss the playoffs
I don’t plan on just playing seven more games.
D.J. Smith
On possibly using Anton Forsberg more down the stretch and if he considered a goaltending change at 2-0
Buck will make those decisions, he’s the goalie coach, but Kuemps has been our guy all along. Certainly, we’ll look at everything in every position that gives us a chance to win. [Reporter: Did you consider pulling Darcy at 2-0?] No. I didn’t love the start by us. Sometimes you have the long presentation and you’re a little rusty and then it’s the high stick and just the start wasn’t what we wanted by the players, either. So no, not at two, for sure.
On the start tonight and three consecutive flat starts at home
I mean, at the end of the day, you’ve probably got to simplify it. You’ve got to start by winning the opening drop, you’ve got to put it in and you’ve got to forecheck and you get a couple shifts and then you get going in. It’s like anything else, the more you talk about it, then it becomes a thing. So, you could turn around and say, boy, your second periods are good or boy, you third period was really good tonight. It was a tale of two games completely. They dominated the first half and I thought we took it to them in the second half.
On what he felt the turning point in the game was, going from 4-1 down to 4-4
Well, the second goal not very long after, we got a little bit of life and the fans got rolling. Then, we’re not all over them, but we’re getting some chances. We’ve got a 2-on-1, you get an odd-man rush, I think both teams will look at that tape and go, wow, we gave up some chances. Darce made a couple big saves and then back we go the other way. At 4-3, the penalty between periods being reviewed after looking at it, it wasn’t a high stick and that’s a big difference in the game. If you’ve got to start by killing four minutes, maybe they get one, and the penalty kill was outstanding tonight, but maybe they get one, maybe they don’t, but it’s four minutes of a bunch of guys sitting on the bench and the refs got it right, the guy put his head up in the air, and he never got hit.
On the feeling in the room right now, with seven games left in the season
Well, guys would be upset, for sure, but you’ve got to turn the page quick. We’ve got to come out with a couple really good performances. One thing we haven’t had is being able to score goals and we’re finding ways to score. Now, we’ve got to check. I mean, ultimately, it’s this time of the year where you’ve got to close teams down. Once we got it to 4-4, we didn’t give them anything. We have to start the game like that.
Lineups Courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com
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MAPLE LEAFS PROBABLE LINEUP
Former King
Troy Stecher
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GOALTENDING COMPARISON
WESTERN CONF WILD CARD STANDINGS
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**POLL QUESTION GAME**
Just one question today -
What will be the final score AND which team will win?
You can take 5 guesses -
1 point for correct score, 3 points for correct score & winner
You MAY duplicate scores (example: 3-2 Kings 3-2 Leafs)
*you still only get 1 point for correct score even if you guess it twice
PREVIOUS GAME'S WINNERS
Two-Game questions carry over to Monday - no winners or losers this game
POLL GAME WIN TOTALS
King of the Mountain - 71 points
DRice
67 points
KernCoKingFan
64 points
VegasHockey
63 points
motolare
62 points
Angel Eyes
Cross Traffic
61 points
Chateau Bow Wow
Drum4Pigs
Nyssa42
57 points
Rusty
56 points
Birdman
jammer06
VCRW
55 points
Forum Gold
pray4mojo
Rogie-Vachon
54 points
dannybuoy1
SirJW
53 points
Clif
Guinevere
mugs
52 points
Liz4LA
50 points
Hockey53
randdog
48 points
hornman
46 points
DRGinLBC
empire
HiFi
44 points
Dr. Tran
McSorleyFan
43 points
notbob
40 points
CIrvine
sonnyboy11
37 points
RoS
symbology
TooCool
28 points
beady eye
26 points
Shackleford
20 pts
ICE24
Rog or Reg?
15 points
The Nuts
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