Following a successful road trip, and the lone point separating the Kings and Kraken in the standings, Wednesday night’s Pacific Division showdown was already going to be a big game.
But when news broke around noon that the Kings had made a trade-deadline splash and acquired star winger Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers, the hockey world’s eyes descended on Crypto.com Arena.
And while the debates rage on about who won the trade and whether LA gave up too much, Wednesday’s performance on the ice made one thing clear — this Kings team needs Panarin — desperately.
Before the game, general manager Ken Holland held a rare press conference to discuss the move. Despite all the buzz and media attention from the trade, the Kings still had a game to play. In fact, it was an extremely important matchup, one with considerable playoff ramifications. The Kraken entered the day in the Western Conference’s second and final wildcard spot, with LA a point behind. With the Olympic break beginning following Thursday’s games, Wednesday’s winner would likely head into the league-wide hiatus with the final playoff spot.
Seattle brought the desperation and handed LA a disappointing 4-2 loss, the Kraken’s third straight victory over the Kings this season and the fifth in their last six matchups since the start of 2025.
The Kings struck first on the power play nearly eight minutes into the game, when winger Andrei Kuzmenko took the open ice near the net, and his wrister from the left wing circle slipped through Kraken goalie Joey Daccord.
But just a minute and a half later, Ryan Winterton intercepted defenseman Jacob Moverare’s pass behind the net and found Shane Wright in front, who scored on the backhand to tie the game. One shift after the tying goal, another Kings’ misplay along the boards in the defensive zone led to an Adam Larsson goal from the slot. Seattle scored again five minutes later on the power play, as Vince Dunn danced around the Kings’ defense and used a well-executed neutral zone entry to pot his eighth goal of the season.
After a disastrous opening period, it was the Kings who controlled play in the middle frame. About halfway through the period, Kuzmenko showed off his power-play prowess again, scoring his second goal of the night off a centering feed from Adrian Kempe.
In the third, the Kraken took advantage of a hooking penalty to extend the lead again. With goalie Darcy Kuemper hugging the near post and Drew Doughty diving to stop a cross-ice feed, Frederick Gaudreau slid a pass under Doughty’s glove to the waiting Wright, whose shot deflected off Kuemper’s shoulder and under the crossbar for Wright’s second of the contest.
With more than four minutes remaining and a chance to cut the lead in half with the extra attacker, Kempe was called for a high-sticking double minor, making a comeback effort considerably more difficult. While the Kings are about league average in penalty minutes, the penalty kill has struggled most of the season, ranking 25th, a disappointing number for a team that prides itself on defense. The struggling penalty kill has put significant pressure on LA to stay out of the box. Last night, the Kings’ 18 penalty minutes led to three power-play goals for Seattle, a clear indication that the team must fix its poor penalty kill and see improved shorthanded goaltending if it wants to make a postseason run.
But the main problem all season for LA has been finding enough scoring, especially among the forward group. Entering the Kraken game, the Kings have scored the fourth-fewest goals per game in the NHL. Since the 2021-22 season, Panarin has been remarkably durable and consistently productive in New York, averaging over a point per game during his time with the Rangers. His offensive skillset should bring an added element of firepower to a Kings lineup that is yearning for more offense.
Now three points out of a playoff spot in the subpar Pacific, LA plays its final game tonight before the three-week Olympic break versus the division-leading Golden Knights in Las Vegas.
Luckily for LA, reinforcements are on the way, as Panarin is expected to make his Kings debut when the NHL returns in late February. But will Panarin be enough to lift this team to the postseason?