Playoff Preview: The Avs’ Search for Lord Stanley Begins Today!

Projected Lineup

Forwards: Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas Parker Kelly – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin Gabe Landeskog – Nazem Kadri – Nicolas Roy Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Logan O’Connor Defense: Cale Makar – Devon Toews Josh Manson – Brent Burns Brett Kulak – Sam Malinksi Between the Pipes: Scott Wedgewood Mackenzie Blackwood

Los Angeles Kings

After three consecutive seasons of first round postseason exits at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles gets a break from being terrorized by the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl…only to find the likes of MacKinnon and Martin Nečas, both of whom scored a combined 227 points during the regular season, perennial Norris Trophy favorite Cale Makar, and the William Jennings trophy-winning duo in Blackwood and Wedgewood waiting for them. Some break. Although they had been in the mix for a more promising seeding in Pacific Division standings, General Manager Ken Holland made several moves to try to bolster his team’s position. Philip Danault, Warren Foegele, and Corey Perry were shipped out, while Artemi Panarin and Scott Laughton were added. While Los Angeles managed to clinch their playoff berth on April 14 in a 5-3 victory over Seattle, they wouldn’t learn of their actual playoff position until the final night of the regular season three nights later. The Anaheim Ducks wrapped up the third seed in the Pacific Division in their 5-4 defeat of the Nashville Predators, which locked the Kings into the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. According to Kings insiders Jared Shafran and Zach Dooley, due to the multiple playoff scenarios that could have unfolded for Los Angeles, they opted returned home after wrapping up their regular season finale in Calgary. Dooley said that the Kings spent time in L.A. on Friday to give the roster some rest in familiar surroundings before practicing on Saturday, then flying out to Denver afterward. Shafran said that the Kings wouldn’t hold a morning skate prior to Game One due to its early start time. Going into the postseason as the second wild card against the League’s top seed is daunting enough, but to go into Denver with so little practice time prior to the start of the series against Colorado, who made Ball Arena a house of horrors for opposing teams throughout the regular season, is certainly an unenviable choice. Dooley also noted that injured forwards Andrei Kuzmenko, Jeff Malott, and Alex Turcotte, who have missed stretches of time due to injury, participated in yesterday’s practice. All three are now options to return to the lineup for Game One, but no firm decisions had been made regarding their status. Kevin Fiala won’t be an option for interim head coach (and one-time Colorado defenseman) D.J. Smith, who missed the rest of the season after sustaining a leg injury during the Olympic break. Having Kuzmenko, Malott, and Turcotte as possible additions for his lineup would give him more options to go against Colorado’s deep forward ranks. Adrian Kempe, Quinton Byfield, and Alex Laferriere, all of whom led Los Angeles in goals and points, respectively, will have their work cut out for them as they go against a formidable Colorado defense. However, Smith will have one of the League’s best wingers at his disposal in Panerin. Over the course of twenty-six games played with Los Angeles, Panarin averaged over a point per game during his short tenure with the Kings (9G/18A/27PTS). He and Kempe, along with captain Anže Kopitar, will likely be Colorado’s top defensive assignment of Makar and Devon Toews, which could afford Smith the opportunity to deploy Byfield and Laferriere against more favorable matchups. In goal, Anton Forsberg, who won six of his past seven starts, could get the nod again as things get underway in Denver. However, in eight career games against Colorado, Forsberg has recorded only one win (1-7-0), and has never faced Colorado in postseason action. Kuemper, who backstopped Colorado to the Stanley Cup in 2022, would seem to be a more logical option, given his familarity with their playing style. He also has a playoff series win against Colorado, which was earned as a member of the Minnesota Wild during the 2013-2014 postseason, marking his first ever playoff series victory. This series against Colorado will mark Smith’s first ever appearance as a head coach in the playoffs, who was tagged as interim head coach after Jim Hiller was dismissed in March. During his time as the bench boss of the Ottawa Senators, none of his teams qualified for the playoffs. Despite this lack of playoff credentials as a head coach, Smith did make playoff appearances as an assistant as part of Mike Babcok’s coaching staff with the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, three consecutive first round exits concluded those playoff appearances during his time in Toronto. Kopitar, who annouced that this season would be his final NHL season, will make his last appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a Kings sweater. If he has his say, he’ll have more than four more games of postseason play to put a feather in his Hall of Fame crown…unless Colorado has a different send-off in mind.

Projected Lineup

Forwards: Artemi Panarin – Anže Kopitar – Adrian Kempe Trevor Moore – Quinton Byfield – Alex Laferriere Joel Armia – Scott Laughton – Jared Wright Mathieu Joseph – Samuel Helenius – Jeff Malott Defense: Mikey Anderson – Drew Doughty Joel Edmundson – Brandt Clarke Brian Dumoulin – Cody Ceci Between the Pipes: Anton Forsberg Darcy Kuemper