Kings eliminated in Western 1st Round, offensive woes among factors

The Los Angeles Kings were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday. It was the first time they were swept in a best-of-7 series since the 2017-18 season, when the Vegas Golden Knights defeated them in four straight in the first round.

The Kings (35-27-20) were the second wild card from the West and qualified for the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. They’ve been eliminated in the first round each time.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Andrei Kuzmenko, F; Scott Laughton, F; Mathieu Joseph, F; Jeff Malott, F; Jacob Moverare, D; Pheonix Copley, G

Potential restricted free agents: Brandt Clarke, D

Potential 2026 Draft picks: 9

Here are five reasons why the Kings were eliminated:

1. Issues 5-on-5

Scoring was an overall problem for the Kings, especially 5-on-5, where they got only two goals in four games.

Their final 5-on-5 goal came in Game 4 from defenseman Joel Edmundson at 13:43 of the second period, which brought Los Angeles within one at 2-1. That’s as close it would get to Colorado the rest of that game.

This was a problem the Kings experienced against the Avalanche during the regular season too; they scored one 5-on-5 goal in three games.

2. Constant chasing

Artemi Panarin’s power-play goal at 13:04 of the third period in Game 2 gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead, but Gabriel Landeskog responded for Colorado just 3:19 later. That’s how long the Kings led in the series -- 3:19. Even when they managed to keep it close, they struggled.

Each of the first two games in the series was a 2-1 final. During the regular season, Los Angeles went 21-6-20 in one-goal games.

3. Missing you

Kevin Fiala, who had 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists) in 56 games, broke his leg while playing for Team Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 13. The forward started skating again as the playoffs began, but the Kings would’ve had to have a substantial run to get him back in the lineup.

Kuzmenko returned for Game 3 after missing the final 25 regular-season and first two playoff games after he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He had 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 52 games and was a key figure on their power play.

4. Stars didn’t shine bright enough

The Kings acquired Panarin from the New York Rangers prior to the Olympic break to bolster their offense. He did that down the stretch of the regular season (27 points in 26 games), but after a power-play goal in each of the first two games against the Avalanche, Panarin was held to one assist in the final two. He had one shot on goal in Game 4.

Adrian Kempe, who led Los Angeles with 73 points (36 goals, 37 assists) in 81 regular-season games, had two points (one goal, one assist) and was minus-5 in four playoff games. Quinton Byfield didn’t have a postseason goal after scoring 24 in 79 regular-season games. Colorado goalie Scott Wedgewood denied him on a penalty shot in Game 2.

5. (Half)-special teams

This is more about the power play than the penalty kill, which was 10-for-11 (90.9 percent) and didn’t allow a power-play goal in the series until Game 4, when Nathan MacKinnon scored at 13:13 of the first period. The Kings were 9-for-9 before then.

Their power play capitalized once in each of the first three games of the series but finished 3-for-16 (18.8 percent), including a short-handed goal in Game 3. Los Angeles went 0-for-3 with the man-advantage in Game 4, including 0-for-2 through the first 11:34.