April 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\nThat\u2019s not to suggest the Kings did not work hard. They worked extremely hard. But as Smith said, good won\u2019t be good enough. The Kings were good in Game 1. They\u2019ll need to be even better in Game 2.<\/p>\n
Smith pointed to physicality again this morning, in all sorts of ways. Defending the net, attacking Colorado\u2019s net, forechecking, keeping pucks alive offensively. All of those things. It\u2019s clearly a focus when the puck drops for Game 2 tomorrow evening.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need more zone time, we have to hold onto pucks and I think we can forecheck harder,\u201d Smith said today. \u201cThe more we can hold onto pucks, the more you put miles on them. Give them credit, they\u2019re the best defensive team in the league, they don\u2019t give you much, but we\u2019ve got to do a better job of creating and holding onto pucks.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think Colorado\u2019s defensive prowess sometimes goes unnoticed, because of the star power that they have offensively. However, the goaltending tandem of Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood won the Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed in the NHL this season with 203. No other team was even close, with the second-placed Dallas Stars 23 goals greater. Colorado is a high-octane offensive club but they defend as well as anyone in the league does as well and that isn\u2019t given enough credit. <\/p>\n
So, it\u2019s going to be easier said than done. But it\u2019s in there for the Kings.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why the physicality angle can be effective. It might not bear fruit right away, but if you get hit hard all night, maybe it helps to open things up as the game goes on. In a tight game one, it came down to just a couple of looks each way to determine the winner, with Colorado the side that got theirs to go. It was a close game, with winnable moments for Los Angeles. <\/p>\n
The chance breakdown in Game 1 was actually substantially more even than it might\u2019ve felt. In 5-on-5 situations, the Kings were very tight in just about every category. Natural Stat Trick had the Kings narrowly ahead in higher-quality chances, narrowly behind in total attempts. SportLOGIQ had the Kings ahead in total scoring chances 16-14 and ahead 18-17 in terms of even-strength attempts from the slot. All good things. <\/p>\n
Now comes the hard part. Converting, without sacrificing all of the things the Kings did well in Game 1.<\/p>\n
That means continuing to defend relentlessly, finding reset opportunities within Colorado surges. Getting stellar goaltending, as Anton Forsberg gave them on Sunday. Continuing to make life difficult on Colorado\u2019s star players. Can\u2019t have any drop off there. If the Kings can continue to execute in those areas, as they did effectively in Game 1, while getting some more offensive opportunities, with more sustained pressure, they\u2019re going to put themselves in a great position to win. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think we can do a little bit more offensively, challenging their D, making it hard on their goalie to make saves,\u201d forward Scott Laughton said. \u201cI think we have some more to give offensively in their zone, especially holding on to pucks and making it harder on them to come 200 feet.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think it starts, as both Laughton and Smith said, with establishing a bit more time in the offensive zone. In Game 1, Colorado had substantially more time spent with possession in the offensive zone, with nearly five and a half minutes compared to just over three for the Kings. Los Angeles did a good job of protecting the inside and keeping a lot of that possession time out of the slot. Offensively, though, their best chances came on some of those longer possession shifts. They just had fewer of them. If they can do that, it comes down to finishing and that will ultimately determine the outcome<\/p>\n
That now becomes the task in Game 2.<\/p>\n
The beauty of it is we\u2019re not talking about scoring five more goals. That\u2019s not the plan. The Kings have played low-scoring games all season long and they are extremely comfortable playing in those games. They played higher-event games down the stretch, but come the playoffs, I think we all know how the Kings would like these games to go. <\/p>\n
The Kings are comfortable in those moments. They believe they can uptick the offense without sacrificing those things. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think we can finish [better], you get a few chances, didn\u2019t finish, maybe be a little bit harder in the o-zone,\u201d defenseman Mikey Anderson added. \u201cThat\u2019s the kind of hockey, we\u2019re comfortable in the low-scoring games. I don\u2019t think we can outscore them, so we\u2019re going to have to keep it like that. Maybe we get the power play going, they had a couple good looks, another one goes in, different game too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sounds pretty simple on paper, doesn\u2019t it? Just do everything that you did well last game well again and then improve in some other areas. Simple. Colorado is the NHL\u2019s top team for a reason and they will continue to have a ton of say in how this series goes. But the Kings have shown they can battle and hang around, if they play a certain way. Game 1 was a good job of executing the game plan. If they can manage a bit more, they\u2019ll have their chances in Game 2 as well. <\/p>\n
Will personnel changes factor in? We\u2019ll get a better sense of that tomorrow. The Kings have Andrei Kuzmenko as an option, who certainly brings offense, but he\u2019s gone two months without playing. Jumping into this kind of intensity would be a big ask, but it could help. Taylor Ward and Alex Turcotte are also options for bottom-six roles if the Kings want more speed. Personally, while I\u2019d look at the fourth line potentially, I don\u2019t think personnel is the issue. The group that played in Game 1 had enough to score the goals they needed to. Will see what tomorrow brings on that front, with coverage to follow in the game preview.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2271607281-640x427.jpg\" "\\"Los")
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Photo by Michael Martin\/NHLI via Getty Images<\/p>\n