The Los Angeles Kings have officially secured their fifth straight playoff berth, ending a tense regular-season push with a definitive statement in the Pacific Northwest. The clinch came Monday night following a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena, a result that coincided with a San Jose Sharks win over the Nashville Predators to mathematically lock the Angelenos into the postseason.
For a franchise that has built its modern identity on stability and veteran poise, the road to this qualification was unexpectedly volatile. The season reached a critical inflection point on March 1, when the organization parted ways with head coach Jim Hiller. At the time of his dismissal, the team held a mediocre 24-21-14 record, leaving many to wonder if the Kings’ streak of postseason appearances was finally nearing its end.
The appointment of DJ Smith as interim head coach sparked an immediate and necessary shift in momentum. Under Smith’s guidance, the Kings transformed from a team drifting toward the bubble into a formidable contender, posting an 11-5-5 record since the transition. The victory in Seattle served as the exclamation point on a five-game winning streak that has restored confidence in the locker room and provided the team with significant late-season leverage.
A Coaching Pivot and a Surge in Form
The turnaround under DJ Smith was not merely about wins and losses, but about a reclaimed sense of identity. By leaning into the team’s existing leadership, Smith managed to stabilize a roster that had struggled with consistency during the first half of the campaign.
“It’s been a tough road, for sure, and things probably weren’t looking great a while ago,” Smith said. “You have to give credit to the guys and their leadership. They’ve been playing in the playoffs for a long time. That’s given us this opportunity. We’ll see what happens now and maybe One can move up another position.”
The statistical contrast between the two coaching tenures highlights the impact of the mid-season change, as the Kings shifted from a .500-adjacent team to one of the hottest squads in the Western Conference.
| Coaching Phase | Record | Winning Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Hiller (Until March 1) | 24-21-14 | .516 |
| DJ Smith (Interim) | 11-5-5 | .625 |
The Twilight of a Legend: Anze Kopitar’s Final Act
While the playoff berth is a collective triumph, this particular qualification carries a profound emotional weight. The team’s captain and cornerstone, Anze Kopitar, recently announced that the 2025-26 season will be his final campaign in the NHL. The revelation marks the beginning of the end for one of the most storied careers in the history of the Hockey Hall of Fame trajectory.
Kopitar’s legacy in Los Angeles is virtually unmatched. Over a two-decade career spent entirely in the silver and black, the Slovenian center has been the heartbeat of the franchise, leading the Kings to two Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014. His commitment to the city and the crest was on full display during the team’s final regular-season home game, where he promised the crowd that the team would leave nothing to chance in their quest for a playoff spot.
The atmosphere in Seattle reflected the respect Kopitar has earned across the league. Following the final buzzer, Kraken players formed a line to greet the captain, offering congratulations to a man who has defined professional longevity and excellence in the modern era. It was a poignant farewell to the city of Seattle, occurring as Kopitar enters the final chapters of his career.
A Legacy of Loyalty
For the younger players in the room, the journey alongside Kopitar has been more than just a professional experience; it has been a masterclass in leadership. Forward Trevor Moore, who grew up as a fan of the Kings before eventually wearing the jersey himself, spoke to the surreal nature of the current moment.
“Sometimes it doesn’t even seem real,” Moore said. “Sometimes I find it hard to believe that all What we have is happening and it feels like you are part of history in a way.”
Looking Toward the First Round
Despite the celebration, the Kings’ work is far from finished. With only three days remaining in the regular season, the Western Conference landscape remains fluid. While the berth is secure, the team’s final seeding—and their first-round opponent—remains undecided.
The Kings will spend the remaining games fine-tuning their systems and managing player health, hoping to climb another spot in the standings to avoid the league’s most dominant heavyweights in the opening round. The objective is clear: maximize the remaining window of this veteran core and give Kopitar a postseason run worthy of his twenty-year tenure.
The NHL will release the official first-round matchups following the conclusion of the regular season. Fans can track the final standings and bracket updates via the official NHL standings page.
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