LA Kings playoff push comes into focus

The Los Angeles Kings continued their six-game homestand and welcomed the month of March with their season series finale against the league-leading Colorado Avalanche on Mar 2. This game also marked the debut of DJ Smith as interim head coach. Smith replaced head coach Jim Hiller, who was fired on Feb. 28 after a win against the Calgary Flames.

Anze Kopitar and the Los Angeles Kings face a season-defining stretch for the playoffs this upcoming spring after a bad end to the homestand this past weekend

Clearly, the decision had been made prior to the game.  This game also marked the NHL debuts of three players, forwards Kenny Connors and Jared Wright, and defenseman Angus Booth.

The Avalanche struck first about five minutes into the game when Nathan MacKinnon scored his 41st and league-leading goal of the season. Midway through the same period, Gabriel Landeskog gave Colorado a 2-0 lead with a slapshot goal. The Kings got on the board with three minutes left in the first period, with Brandt Clarke scoring his eighth goal of the season on the power play.

In the second period, the Kings tied things up when defenseman Angus Booth scored his 1st career goal in his debut. The score remained tied through the rest of the period, with both teams playing tough defense.

The Avalanche then broke the tie with five minutes remaining in the game when defenseman Devon Toews scored his 2nd goal of the season, giving Colorado a 3-2 lead. The 4-2 victory was sealed for the Avalanche when Martin Necas scored an empty-netter on the powerplay with five seconds left. This win gave Colorado the season series sweep. 

The Kings continued their homestand on Mar. 5 against the Islanders, which was their final game prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. It was also their first game without Warren Foegele, who was traded to the Ottawa Senators prior to the game. The Kings extracted some value from the trade since Foegele was not getting much playing time.

This game was also captain Anze Kopitar’s 1,500th career NHL game, a major NHL milestone. The scoring opened three minutes into the game when Artemi Panarin scored his 20th goal of the season, his first with the Kings. The first period ended with the Kings holding a 1-0 lead.

The Kings kept rolling in the second period when Samuel Helenius scored his fourth goal of the season, giving the Kings a 2-0 lead. Only a minute and a half later in the same period, defenseman Mikey Anderson scored his 3rd goal of the season and gave the Kings a 3-0 lead.

With one second left in the same period,  the Islanders got on the board with forward Bo Horvat scoring his 26th goal of the season. This goal stunned the Kings and the crowd, ending the period on a sour note.  Two minutes into the 3rd period, Kings forward Alex Laferriere scored his 15th goal of the season on the power play and gave the Kings a 4-1 lead. Exactly two minutes later, Adam Pelech got the Islanders within two on a shorthanded goal.

However, four minutes later, Adrian Kempe scored his team-leading 23rd goal of the season on a tip-in and gave the Kings a 5-2 lead. With more than eight minutes left in the game, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy pulled their goalie. The Kings had multiple chances to score an empty-netter, but could not convert. With less than two minutes left in the game, Emil Heinemen scored, getting New York within two goals again. The Kings held on and earned the second win of their homestand, 5-3, giving them hope to increase their playoff chances. 

The Kings concluded their homestand on March 7 against the Canadiens, which was their first game after the trade deadline. It was their first game without Corey Perry, who was traded back to the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he played from 2021-2023. The game also marked the Kings debuts of Scott Laughton, who was acquired via trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Mathieu Joseph, who signed a one-year contract after his previous one with the St. Louis Blues was mutually terminated.

Joseph sat out due to injury, but Laughton skated on the third line. The scoring opened up late in the first period for the Kings when captain Anze Kopitar scored his 7th goal of the season with a tip-in from Adrian Kempe. The goal marked his 1,304th career point, leaving him three points behind Kings all-time points leader Marcel Dionne. The Canadiens tied things up three minutes into the second period when forward Jake Evans scored his ninth goal of the season. Late in the same period, Juraj Slafkovsky gave Montreal a 2-1 lead, his 22nd of the season.

With two minutes left in the same period, Scott Laughton tied things up with his ninth goal of the season. This was his first goal in his Kings debut, with Jared Wright earning his first career NHL point on the primary assist in his third NHL game. The Kings went up 3-2 in the third period when Alex Laferriere scored his 16th goal of the season on a net-front rebound.

The Canadiens tied things up again at three apiece when Slafkovsky scored his second goal of the night on the powerplay. Nick Suzuki scored and gave Montreal a 4-3 lead. Even though the Kings outshot and outhit Montreal, the Kings had a hard time matching the Canadiens' team speed at the end of the game. The Kings ended their homestand with a 2-4-0 record and earned only 4 out of a possible 12 points. 

The Kings now embark on a five-game road trip beginning on March 9 against the Blue Jackets, which was rescheduled from Jan. 26. Then on to Boston against the Bruins on March 10, and then they play the three New York area teams. March 13 against the Islanders, March 14 against the Devils, and concluding March 16 against the Rangers.