Confidence At Home + Matchups in LA, Moore's Play, Kempe's Offensive Checklist
LA Kings Insider • • sports
Key Points:
- The Los Angeles Kings, trailing 0-2 in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche, host Game 3 at Crypto.com Arena on April 23, aiming for their first win of the series.
- Artemi Panarin has been the Kings' sole scorer so far, with power-play goals in both games, while goaltender Anton Forsberg has performed strongly with a .941 save percentage and 1.90 goals-against average.
- The Kings have gained confidence playing at home, having improved their home record significantly in April, which could be a key advantage as they look to avoid elimination.
- Interim Head Coach D.J. Smith plans to use home-ice matchups strategically, potentially deploying Trevor Moore's line to neutralize Colorado's top players and possibly reintegrating forward Andrei Kuzmenko to boost offense.
- Colorado leads the series with a strong defensive game, but their top players have yet to produce multiple points, setting up a tightly contested Game 3 as the Kings seek to shift momentum on home ice.
