Kings clinch playoff berth for 5th consecutive season, defeat Kraken 5-3
The Los Angeles Kings clinched a playoff berth with a 5-3 win over the Seattle Kraken.
Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) fights for the puck against the Kraken at the crypto. com Arena on December 23,2025 in Los Angeles, California. SEATTLE -- For the fifth consecutive season, the Los Angeles Kings are heading to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after defeating the Seattle Kraken 5-3 at Climate Pledge Arena on Monday.
Coming into the day, Los Angeles needed a win in the Pacific Northwest and a regulation loss by the Nashville Predators to secure a postseason spot. The San Jose Sharks, behind a two-goal night from Macklin Celebrini, snapped a 15-game losing streak to Predators and ended Nashville's playoff hopes. In a rollercoaster season marked by a midseason coaching change, an NHL record number of overtime games and captain Anze Kopitar’s final campaign, Los Angeles silenced the noise and clinched a playoff berth in the Western Conference.
The postseason appearance will mark the 11th and final Stanley Cup Playoff for Kopitar, who is set to retire after 20 seasons with Los Angeles. The 38-year-old is the all-time scoring leader in the history of the Kings franchise with 452 goals and 862 assists in his illustrious career. With the victory, Los Angeles pushed their winning streak to five games — the longest of the season.
LA collected its sixth straight victory when scoring first and moved to 28-6-7 on the season when notching the first goal. The Kings also improved to 25-2-0 this season when leading after two periods. Quinton Byfield scored his 21st and 22nd goals of the season in the first period, marking his fifth consecutive road games with multiple points.