It is officially a new era of hockey in Los Angeles. Future Hall of Famer Anze Kopitar’s career is over after the Kings were defeated 5-1 on Sunday afternoon and eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The sweep makes it five consecutive seasons in which LA has been eliminated in round 1, as they continue to wait for their first playoff series win since 2014. It is also the first time in the Luc Robitaille era that the Kings have been swept in a playoff series.
The Kings came into Sunday having played Colorado close in the first three games of the series. Despite facing elimination, LA only lost all three games by a combined four goals, with one of those being an empty net goal in game 3. However, the Kings were having an extremely difficult time solving Avalanche netminder Scott Wedgewood, who had surrendered just four goals in the first three games.
The Kings’ struggles against Wedgewood continued in game 4, despite an early push, likely feeding off the crowd’s energy. Although Nathan MacKinnon would later convert on a power-play, shifting momentum heavily in Colorado’s favor.
Special teams played a large part in Colorado gaining momentum in the first period. LA’s early press resulted in two power plays; however, Los Angeles could not capitalize on either. Conversely, the Avalanche converted almost immediately on their first man advantage with MacKinnon’s goal, and never looked back from there.
The highlight of the game came early in period two, as superstar defenseman Cale Makar danced around Taylor Ward, skated individually along the right side, and subsequently beat Anton Forsberg on the glove side. Joel Edmundson would respond for Los Angeles late in the second, but the Avs scored twice quickly in the third to quiet the crowd and end the Kings’ season.
Not only was it Anze Kopitar’s final game, it could be interim Head Coach DJ Smith’s final game as the Kings’ head coach as well.
When asked if he did enough to return behind the bench next season, “that’s a question for Ken [Holland],” said Smith.
“I know I did my absolute best,” he added.
Smith also heavily praised Colorado’s play over the course of the series. He specifically touted their defensive effort, which usually goes by the wayside compared to their offensive prowess, as a reason for their dominating play.
“Give them credit their coaching staff, how well they checked to a man. They didn’t give us a breakaway all series besides a shorthanded one… that’s incredible to do for four games,” said Smith.
When it comes to Kopitar, many of his teammates were very emotional after the loss. Adrian Kempe was in tears when asked about Kopitar’s leadership. Even longtime teammate Drew Doughty struggled to put into words the impact of Kopi’s departure.
Kopitar himself was very emotional after the game, as he was accompanied by his two kids at the press conference.
“It hit me about 5 or 6 minutes to go that this could be it, for the last 20 years I’ve never experienced that emotion. It’s hard to comprehend,” said Kopitar, who also stated he’s excited to spend more time with his family.
Kopitar gave a lot of praise to the Kings fanbase, who started chanting his name towards the end of regulation.
“I really appreciate the fans. I can truly say that this is probably one of the best fanbases in its entirety,” Kopitar said.
It is yet to be seen what this King’s roster will look like next season without their star center for 20 years. Not only will the roster change, but there are a multitude of questions the Kings’ front office must internally answer. Only the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres have gone longer without winning a playoff series, and the Kings must make sure they maximize the rest of Artemi Panarin’s career.
The team will hold exit interviews on Wednesday, and GM Ken Holland will address the media on Friday. LA hopes it can come back stronger next year, but ultimately, they are headed for another long offseason.