Kings’ playoff losses to Avalanche stoke confidence, frustration

DENVER — Before Anze Kopitar left the ice after the final regular-season home game of his NHL career, he told fans he was saying goodbye, not goodbye.

He would return, he promised, in the playoffs.

He’ll keep that commitment Thursday when his Kings and the Colorado Avalanche meet in Game 3 of their first-round series at Crypto.com Arena. But that could prove to be a short reminder, because after losing the first two games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Denver, the Kings need a win on Thursday or in Game 4 on Sunday to extend their season and Kopitar’s Hall of Fame career.

The Kings’ – and Kopitar’s – last six playoff appearances all ended after just one round. And they’re halfway to another first-round loss this year, even though they probably deserve better after giving the league’s best team all it could handle, only to lose twice by one goal, including a 2-1 overtime loss in Game 2 on Tuesday.

“To a man, we’re playing hard,” Kings interim coach DJ Smith said. “We were hoping to pull away here, but no matter what, we’ll have to win at home. We’ve got to find a way to win a game.

“It is clear that good is not enough.”

Kopitar announced his retirement before the start of this season on 20^th in his Hall of Fame career. And while many of his teammates spoke of their desire to see their captain hoist the Stanley Cup once again, simply making the playoffs seemed out of reach for the Kings until the final two weeks of the regular season.

Colorado, meanwhile, led the league across the board, winning the most games, putting up the most points, scoring the most goals and allowing the fewest. Kings? Not so much. They allowed 22 more goals than they scored, the worst among playoff teams, and needed points in 11 of their last 13 games just to make the playoffs as the final wild-card team.

Colorado left winger Joel Kiviranta skates under pressure from Kings center Scott Laughton and goalie Anton Forsberg during Game 2 of their first-round NHL playoff series Tuesday in Denver.

(Jack Dempsey/Associated Press)

However, after two games in this series, it was difficult to distinguish the teams on the ice. The Kings outplayed, outscored and outscored the Avalanche for long stretches. But these moral victories were their only victories.

Asked if he could take solace in the way the team played, goaltender Anton Forsberg, who was outstanding in his first two career playoff games, looked straight ahead.

“No,” he said. “We wanted to go home [with] a victory.

Forward Trevor Moore was a little more lenient.

“We wish we had stolen one,” he said. “But you can’t look back. You have to look forward. In terms of confidence, we hung with them for two games and we were competitive. I think we could have won any night.”

However, they didn’t win either night, leaving little room for error in the next two games.

If the Kings lacked victories in Denver, they did not lack opportunities. On Tuesday, they had a man advantage for nearly a quarter of the first 25 minutes and had five power plays and one penalty shot on the night.

When Quinton Byfield’s second-period penalty shot was turned away by Colorado goaltender Scott Wedgewood, a group of Avalanche fans celebrated by hitting the protective plexiglass behind the Kings bench with such force that it shattered, raining shards on the team’s coaches.

“Whatever guy [was] I just kept pushing and pushing and pushing,” Smith said. “I looked back because it hit me a few times and then it broke.”

The Kings also failed to score on the power play until Artemi Panarin finally found the back of the net with less than seven minutes left in regulation, giving the team its first lead of the series.

“We had every opportunity,” Smith said. “You have to be able to close it.”

They couldn’t. So when Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog tied the score 3 1/2 minutes later, the teams headed into a fourth period.

The extension was the 34^th in 84 games with the Kings this season, an NHL record by far. But it ended in the team’s 21^st defeat in overtime when Nicolas Roy scored a rebound 7:44 into overtime.

“We looked good. I thought we really had the momentum in overtime,” Smith said. “Maybe a bad rebound or a turnover, whatever, it ends up in your net. But to a man, this team plays hard and we have to find a way to win.

“I hope we will be better at home.”

If they don’t, the Kings face another long summer while Kopitar’s retirement begins sooner than he had hoped.