4/6 Preview – Most Important Game On The Schedule + Forsberg In Net, Lineup Notes, Better Starts Continue To Be A Focus

TODAY’S MATCHUP: It’s an important recreation of the 2025-26 common season so far, because the Kings host the Nashville Predators for Monday Night Hockey at Crypto.com Arena.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Forward Joel Armia has collected a number of factors in each video games performed in opposition to Nashville this season. He had a objective and an help when these groups met in Los Angeles final week, together with the sport-tying objective within the third interval that despatched the sport into extra time. Forward Adrian Kempe scored twice within the recreation and leads the Kings with three targets versus Nashville on the season so far.

KINGS VITALS: Coming off yesterday’s time off, the Kings held a full-staff morning skate upfront of tonight’s recreation versus Nashville.

Expecting a goaltending change tonight for the Kings. Look for goaltender Anton Forsberg to get the beginning between the pipes this night in opposition to Nashville. Forsberg as a lifetime document of two-3-0 versus Nashville, with a .928 save proportion and a 2.45 targets-in opposition to common.

Based on this morning’s skate, right here is the anticipated lineup for the Kings this night –

Panarin – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore–Byfield–Laferriere
Armia–Laughton–Wright
Malott–Helenius–Ward

Anderson–Doughty
Edmundson–Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci

Forsberg
Kuemper

Should the Kings make any modifications from the group proven above, ahead Mathieu Joseph, in addition to defenseman Jacob Moverare, skated this morning. Forward Alex Turcotte is presently “banged up” and is probably not accessible, though Joseph and Moverare ought to each be choices if the Kings select to make use of them.

VITAL PREDATORS: Nashville is in the midst of a six-recreation street journey on the West Coast, with a 2-1-0 document from the primary three video games, together with a 6-3 victory in San Jose on Saturday night.

Per Brooks Bratten of NashvillePredators.com, right here is how the guests aligned in opposition to the Sharks –

#Preds lineup in warmups:

Stamkos-O’Reilly-L’Heureux
Forsberg-Wood-Marchessault
Jost-Haula-Evangelista
Schaefer-Svechkov-Kemell

Skjei-Josi
Hague-Perbix
Wilsby-Barron

Saros
Announce#NSHvsSJS

— Brooks Bratten (@brooksbratten) April 5, 2026

Nashville has been led by ahead Ryan O’Reilly on this head-to-head matchup this season, with the veteran gathering 4 factors (2-2-4) in two video games performed versus Los Angeles. Forward Steven Stamkos scored on Thursday in Los Angeles, his twentieth objective of the calendar yr, making him one among 10 gamers around the NHL with at the very least 20 targets in 2026.

Storyline Of The Day – Goes Without Saying
Shouldn’t want to essentially supply a ton to set the stage for this one.

The Kings have 81 factors. The Predators have 81 factors. Coming off wins on Saturday, the 2 groups are tied for the second wild card spot within the Western Conference. Tonight’s winner can have sole possession of that spot with 5 video games remaining within the common season.

Simply put, it is an important recreation the Kings have performed this season.

“For sure,” ahead Scott Laughton stated in settlement. “I think it’s a really good test for us. We saw them two games ago, so we’re pretty familiar with their game and I’m sure them with us. It’s going to be tight-checking. These are the games you want to play in. It’s a ton of fun. It’s going to be exciting.”

With latest defeats, the Kings are principally competing for this spot at this stage within the season. Sure, there’s an outdoor probability of shifting into the Top-3 within the Pacific Division however that will require a ton of assist and a profitable streak. They’ve gotten the previous however they have not strung two consecutive wins collectively since January, so profitable, say, 5 of six right here to say that spot might be lots. So, it is extra doubtless than not WC2 or bust.

The job tonight is easy – finish that statistic by profitable two video games in a row.

The Kings received 7-6 in opposition to Toronto on Saturday they usually need to exit and win tonight in opposition to Nashville to keep away from falling behind the Predators in factors, with out the tiebreaker to lean on. A win tonight doesn’t put the Kings totally answerable for their destiny, with San Jose two factors again, with a recreation in hand and the regulation wins tiebreaker. But it places them in a extremely great spot.

Broke this down yesterday however there have been very clear positives and negatives within the win in opposition to Toronto. You’d like to see the offensive manufacturing proceed. The Kings scored seven targets, a season excessive, with multi-level video games from Artemi Panarin, Adrian Kempe and Quinton Byfield, their three main scorers in case you rely Panarin’s factors in New York. At this time of the yr, when your finest gamers prepared the ground, you are in all probability going to be in a great place.

The different finish of it must be a greater begin to the sport and a cleaner defensive displaying. Four targets in opposition to on extraordinarily avoidable Kings turnovers and two extra on penalty-kill breakdowns that surrendered the slot too simply. You cannot proceed to identify groups a multi-objective lead, which the Kings have carried out in three of their final 4 video games performed. Unlikely to win most permitting six targets, both.

So a lot on the road tonight.

“You’re going head-to-head with the guy who is trying to take what you’re trying to get,” DJ Smith added of tonight’s recreation. “You’re both fighting for the same thing and you’re going head-to-head tonight. Someone is going to be ahead of the other one at the end of the night and if you take a bad penalty or you make a bad play, that’s giving them the advantage. So, who is going to break first……it’s big-boy time. Who is going to rise here when when it’s time to rise?”

Who will take benefit? Find out in 60 minutes.

3 To Watch For –
– With goaltender Anton Forsberg off the ice first this morning, it seems to be like if he’ll get the beginning tonight for the Kings.

“He’s always ready and he knows the job,” Smith stated of Forsberg. “He’s capable of taking the ball when we need him to and he’s already ready. When we need him, we’ll go to him.”

Smith added at present that he believes that Darcy Kuemper wants “a breather” and that he, together with goaltending coach Mike Buckley made the choice tonight to go together with Forsberg. He believes that each goaltenders will play down the stretch and that there’s a plan in place for the remaining six video games, although, finally efficiency ought to dictate that sort of factor. If Forsberg delivers tonight, he ought to begin once more on Thursday and go from there.

Forsberg has been a stable and dependable possibility for the staff for the majority of this season. He had a rocky begin, after signing as a free agent this summer time, however in case you take his first 5 begins out of the equation, he is posted a .910 save proportion and a 2.57 targets in opposition to common in 26 appearances since.

His final begin got here on Wednesday versus St. Louis and a stellar first interval from Forsberg stored the sport 0-0, till the Kings flipped a change on the first intermission and delivered a greater displaying in entrance of him. The solely objective he allowed might have been a kick and even when not, it was a skillful deflection off a skate, a objective that you may’t pin on him. Ultimately I allowed one objective in a 2-1 win.

The Kings ought to be assured in entrance of him and his teammates consider that they are going to be.

“Forsy has played great for months,” defenseman Drew Doughty stated. “He’s been really good, we’re very confident in front of him. Great goalie, great guy. You want to do things for him because of how hard he works & how good a teammate he is.”

It’s Forsberg’s time to say the web and attempt to lead the Kings into the postseason. A massive second for him at a important juncture of the season.

– The theme of Saturday’s recreation preview was bettering the begins and the significance of doing so.

Naturally, the Kings gave up two targets within the first and trailed by a number of targets for the third time in 4 video games on this homestand. Perhaps the worst of these begins got here in opposition to these Nashville Predators simply 4 days in the past. The Kings acquired scored on 17 seconds into the sport, solely to be saved by a appropriately overturned objective……solely to get scored on once more inside the sport’s first minute. It was 2-0 after 20 minutes however the overturned objective and a missed penalty shot have been the distinction between 2-0 and worse. Nashville scored once more early within the second to make it 3-0 earlier than the Kings began to come back again.

Ultimately you may’t spot groups two targets each evening and anticipate to proceed to win. Eventually, that is going to chunk the Kings. Something we did not discuss as soon as for a month, when the Kings led the league in first-interval objective differential, and now it is each recreation. Such is a playoff race. Margins are skinny and when the identical factor occurs 4 video games straight, it is noticeable and an issue.

“As a leadership group, we try to get vocal, get everyone ready and it always seems like we’re ready before the game and then sometimes, things just don’t go your way and the team has a little dip and lack confidence,” Doughty stated. “It’s just up to the guys. I think the best way to get a good start is to forecheck and get on the board. That’s the best way. Hopefully we can do that.”

It’s not just like the gamers aren’t targeted on it. Artemi Panarin informed the Kings discuss their begins each single day, particularly late. DJ Smith stated in Saturday’s pre-recreation availability that it was the focus within the staff’s pre-recreation assembly and could be the focal-level within the last staff discuss earlier than taking the ice. Not anticipating something completely different tonight. They’re targeted on it as a lot as in all probability the rest of their recreation.

Time for discuss to develop into motion. The Kings have the resolve to come back again, as they’ve proven, nevertheless it’d be good to not want it so desperately, so early in a recreation on this homestand. No time extra essential than tonight’s rematch in opposition to Nashville.

“Simplicity,” Laughton stated, when requested concerning the begin. “I believe the primary six minutes, you try to get to your recreation straight away. Obviously it hasn’t come on his homestand however we now have an opportunity tonight to try to put the ball in our courtroom and go from there. We’ve carried out an excellent job of climbing again in video games and maki[ngithappenbutit’shardtochaseinthisleagueYouwanttogetoffotagoodstartIt’sthrillingIt’sanexcitingdaytowakeupandyouhaveachancetopropelyourselfinthestandings”[ngithappenbutit’shardtochaseinthisleagueYouwanttogetoffotagoodsstartIt’sexcitingIt’sanexcitingdaytowakeupandyouhaveachancetopropelyourselfinthestandings”

– Lastly, one other reminder right here that tonight’s recreation will probably be broadcast on FanDuel Network So-Cal.

FanDuel Sports Network SoCal is accessible on channel #693 on DirecTV and channel #41 on Spectrum and all customers who subscribe digitally to FDSN, by way of their app or web site, can watch the video games as per typical, no points. Just a reminder for these on cable or different platforms that the channel will probably be completely different tonight.

Kings and Predators. Most essential recreation of the season. Let’s see what we get tonight.