On a Monday evening at Climate Pledge Arena, the stanley cup playoffs became real for the Los Angeles Kings in the simplest way possible: by winning a game that left no room for doubt. Their 5-3 victory over the Seattle Kraken locked up the final spot in the field and gave a long, tense run a clear finish.
What did the Kings’ win actually secure?
It secured a postseason berth and kept Los Angeles in the conversation for the next layer of the bracket. The Kings now hold the second wild card from the Western Conference, one point behind the Utah Mammoth, who hold the first wild card, and one point behind the Anaheim Ducks, who are third in the Pacific Division.
The result also came with wider implications beyond one night. The win over Seattle, paired with the Nashville Predators’ 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks, confirmed the Kings’ place in the stanley cup playoffs. The final three days of the NHL regular season are now reserved for playoff jockeying, with seeding still unresolved in several places.
How did Los Angeles get here?
The path has been shaped by a coaching change and a late surge. Los Angeles promoted D. J. Smith to interim head coach at the start of March after the firing of Jim Hiller. For Smith, this will be his first appearance in the playoffs as a head coach after more than four seasons with the Ottawa Senators without reaching the postseason.
Smith said the turnaround has been a climb and credited the group’s leadership for keeping the season alive. His team has won five straight, and Monday’s result was the latest step in a run that has pushed the Kings into the stanley cup playoffs after a stretch that once looked far less secure.
It is also the fifth consecutive playoff appearance for Los Angeles, a streak that carries its own weight. The Kings have lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round in each of the past four years, and a rematch remains possible depending on how Pacific Division seeding settles. The franchise has not won a playoff series since its Stanley Cup title in 2014.
Who drove the night against Seattle?
Quinton Byfield was the center of the game’s first period, scoring twice and setting the tone early. Trevor Moore added a goal and an assist, Alex Laferriere also finished with a goal and an assist, Adrian Kempe scored, and Anton Forsberg made 28 saves for Los Angeles.
The game unfolded with a quick Los Angeles lead, a Seattle push, and then enough response to hold control. Adam Larsson, Frederick Gaudreau and Bobby McMann scored for the Kraken, while Matty Beniers had two assists and Nikke Kokko made 25 saves.
Moore said the group stayed together through a difficult stretch and was determined to send Anze Kopitar into another postseason. That locker-room message matched the result on the ice: a win that felt less like an ending than a release.
What happens next for the Kings and the field?
The stanley cup playoffs begin Saturday, and all games will be on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+. The full field is set, even if the final seeding is not. For the Kings, the immediate story is less about celebration than about what their finish now makes possible.
They arrived here with five straight wins, a coach still new to the job, and a roster that managed the pressure of a must-have night in Seattle. When the puck dropped, the question was whether the Kings could finish the climb. By the final horn, the answer had become part of the bracket.
