Kings' First Round Playoff Opponent, Schedule Revealed After Loss Against Flames
The Kings will square off with the Colorado Avalanche to open the first round of the playoffs this season.
Despite the Anaheim Ducks nearly coming up short against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night, they hung on and won, and the Edmonton Oilers did as well, leaving the Los Angeles Kings as the second wild-card team who will face the Colorado Avalanche. YOUR 2026 #STANLEYCUP PLAYOFFS BRACKET IS HERE 🔒 📺: The #StanleyCup Playoffs begin SATURDAY on @espn , @NHL_On_TNT , @Sportsnet , & @TVASports pic. twitter.
com/N4wSW1bhSl — NHL (@NHL) April 17, 2026 The opening game between the teams will be on Sunday afternoon at 12:00 PM PT on TNT. Entering the final game of the season, LA was tied with Anaheim for the third seed and one point behind Edmonton for the second spot in the Pacific Division. Edmonton and Anaheim took care of business, defeating their opponents and playing their full squads to avoid dropping in the standings.
As a result of the Oilers and Ducks winning, the Kings will now face the Presidents' Trophy winners for the first time since 2002. The Avalanche won both meetings in the 2001 and 2002 playoff series, and this season swept the season series 3-0. The @Avalanche and @LAKings will open their 2026 #StanleyCup Playoffs against one another – the third series between the two teams (also 2002 CQF & 2001 CSF).
The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin April 18 ( @ESPN , @NHL_On_TNT , @Sportsnet , @TVASports ). #NHLStats pic. twitter.
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