LA Kings Clinch 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff Berth To Mark Fifth Consecutive Postseason Appearance

The LA Kings have officially clinched a berth in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs by virtue of their victory over Seattle and Nashville’s regulation loss against San Jose.

The Kings, with a 35-26-19 record and 89 points through 80 games this season, became the fourth team in the Pacific Division and eighth in the Western Conference to secure their spot in the postseason. The 2026 appearance marks the team’s fifth consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and 35th qualification in team history. It also marks the fourth time the Kings have reached the playoffs in five consecutive seasons, and the first since qualifying five years in a row from 2010-14.

Captain Anze Kopitar and defenseman Drew Doughty lead the Kings into the postseason as part of their 11th career appearance, each tied for second-most in team history behind Dave Taylor (13). Kopitar (27-62=89), who is in his final career NHL season, will enter the playoffs tied with Luc Robtialle (41-48=89) for the second-most playoff points in team history and is five shy from tying Wayne Gretzky (29-65=94) for most all-time. Kopitar will look to set the franchise record for most playoff points just over a month removed from collecting his 1,307th and 1,308th career regular-season points to surpass Marcel Dionne (550-757=1,307) to become the eighth player in franchise history to hold the Kings’ outright points record.

In total, 14 players from last year’s Kings playoff roster return, including this season’s team-leading scorer Adrian Kempe (35-37=72), who clinched his third career 70-point season and became the eighth skater in franchise history to record three consecutive 70-point campaigns. Forward Quinton Byfield is also set to make his fifth consecutive playoff appearance following his third straight 20-goal season (22-24=46).

Returning to the playoffs for the first time as a member of the Kings are forwards Artemi Panarin and Scott Laughton, who were both acquired via trade earlier in the season. In 24 games as a member of the Kings, Panarin has recorded nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points (9-17=26), the most among any team skater since his Kings debut on Feb. 25 and tied for the 10th most through a player’s first 24 games with the franchise all-time. This will mark Panarin’s ninth trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where he has accumulated 61 points (21-40=61) in 73 outings for the second-most among active undrafted skaters. Laughton, who has five goals and eight points (5-3=8) in 19 games with the Kings this season, will make his second consecutive postseason appearance and fifth of his career.

The team’s first round opponent, schedule and broadcast calendar are to be determined and will be announced once finalized.

The 2026 LA Kings postseason is presented by Mercury Insurance, Toyota, Blue Shield of California, Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel and Spectrum. First Round playoff tickets are now on sale for all home games at Crypto.com Arena and are available for purchase at lakings.com/playoffs or axs.com/lakings. Group tickets and Event Suite rentals are also available. Season Ticket Memberships for the 2026-27 season are also on sale, with new members guaranteed discounted playoff ticket access.

The Kings will return to action tomorrow, April 14, against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network SoCal, ESPNLA 710 AM and App, and the LA Kings App.