The Los Angeles Kings stage a valiant comeback but fall short in a wild eight-round shootout to the Nashville Predators, raising urgent questions about Darcy Kuemper’s goaltending as the playoff race tightens. With only seven regular-season games left, Kuemper’s shaky start and costly mistakes come under fire, while interim head coach DJ Smith faces mounting pressure to make bold lineup decisions. Can Anton Forsberg take over in net and steady the Kings’ postseason push? Eddie Garcia spotlights standout performances from Adrian Kempe who netted two goals and hit the 30-goal milestone. Key topics include lineup shuffles, the reunion of the Kings’ effective fourth line, and the impact of defensive blunders at this critical juncture. The episode offers up-to-date Pacific Division playoff standings, promising young goalie signings, and a look at must-win upcoming matchups against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators.
00:00 Kings Lose in Shootout
Opening recap of the Kings’ shootout loss to the Predators, playoff implications, and evaluation of the team’s slow start and goaltending concerns.
12:21 Goalie Analysis & Team Changes
In-depth analysis of Darcy Kuemper’s performance, discussion of crucial mistakes by veteran players, debate over goaltending decisions, and suggested changes in the lineup and fourth line configuration.
22:15 Playoff Race & Kings News
Check-in on the Pacific Division standings, playoff race context for the Kings, news of signing goaltending prospects, and key upcoming games and team notes.
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35 Comments
Sharks are ahead with a game in hand , predators want it more , both win the tie breaker , if press or sharks go 4-3 , kings have to go 6-1 . I had %100 hope for tonight , however %0 faith ! They just let to many OT games slip away , and didn’t play 60 minutes pretty much the entire season ! Anyways it’s not official, however they are done !……….
Very, very poor goaltending. I have confidence more in Forsberg than Kuemper right now.
Scott L makes 3 mill a season Philly has 50% of his contract….
Laughton makes $3M. Kings are paying $1.5M due to retention.
he will be looking for around $3M next season.
Should just be trying to see if we can make it to the lottery. Get something for the 1st pick since Byfield is a bust
Sadly i think Drew needs to retire….he makes huge mistakes every game.
I don't think I've ever been so frustrated with a professional sports team. They need an exorcism.
Drew has been making those plays since Christmas.
Honestly, if they can’t win these games now, what chance will they have in the playoffs? And it’s not like they are losing but playing well. Goofy plays left and right and some games they haven’t even shown up for.
Putting all of the emphasis on this game, and this goalie performance is lazy. It completely dismisses the other 18 OT losses, plus the numerous bad regulation losses they’ve had. They’ve been hampered by terrible roster construction and abysmal coaching all season. How often do they get outshot? How often do they fail defensive assignments, leading to odd-man rushes? They can’t score consistently, have no killer instinct, and it’s been like that all season. But it’s all Kuemper’s fault. Because of this particular game. Come on, you’re better than that.
Seeing Doughty thrown over the boards in 3 on 3 overtime is mind boggling
I was very surprised to see no goalie pool in this game. Great job by them to come back in this one, but they can't come out the gate this sluggish. The ceremony for Kopitar was awesome, and I really wish the team could've got the W for him, but it was a very entertaining game at the very least. Things got loud there. I took my oldest son, and he was going, "Put me in," during the 1st period. The team had so many instances where they were sloppy with the puck, especially in the defensive zone during the first half of the game. It was a great time overall, so I'll take solace in having great memories with my boy before he's all grown up.
That was a sweet goal by Evangelista, good read.
La time do burn the rest of the season. Lets do the franchise a favor and save us the embarrassment of an inevitable sweep
NHL Paying some of those guys to much money on that team to do absolutely nothing it’s insane LA needs to be erased an create a whole new team
Good comeback but not enough skill, finish, or grit to get it done….if piece of crap Corey Perry didn't want to stay with the Kings, that tells you something…..
we need to get hot
Agree with doughty kuemper analysis.. I hate that they shoot first on the shootout.. With home adavantage put the pressure on the shooter not the goalie.. That should be a given.
Unfortunately , the slow start killed them. No penalty shots in 7 tries is completely unacceptable. That’s not on Kuemper.
I told you Garcia both GOALTENDERS got to go
WE GOT TO GET OUR CRAP TOGETHER
When getting one point is considered a victory. 😂😂😂
AGAIN DREW? C'MON
Yeah Joseph has done 🚫
I AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT SL
Kuemper throwing his stick wasn't a blunder. He was out of his net and he turned a sure goal into a penalty shot.
Kings don't need a full-on Rebuild,but a re-tool is needed ASAP!
FYI, they did give out a Kopi poster on the way out of the arena.
I don't know why Brandt Clark-Bar doesn't bear any responsibility for the second goal. I don't see how he adds to the team. A few beers short of a six-pack.
Drew has been making those plays for years. I've advocated for his dismissal as long. Weak weak weak.
The reason they do lousy in shootouts is that they are a largely unskilled team.
Why the fk do they start Darcy over anton… uggghhhh!!
I’ve been screaming at my TV all season with the 💩 drop and no look passes. Drew needs to be a healthy scratch next game.
And even though I’m glad the Kings Are hitting again when the hits are that lopsided it means the other team is controlling the puck/game.
They gave a poster on the way out but it was only at a couple of exits and people were trying to get back in to get them and they didnt get them very confusing
The Predators put 3 pucks in the net in the first 8 minutes (one was disallowed) which was very disappointing and the arena went flat. I'm glad the Kings came back, but there were 6-8 puck scrums in front of the Kings' goal as the Preds crashed the net. There were maybe 2 by the Kings. It was a great game to see in person (although the Kopitar glasses are a bit weird) but I would have preferred 2 points.