Former Canuck Andrei Kuzmenko and the Los Angeles Kings are the second team to be eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, having been swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.
For the fifth consecutive season, the Los Angeles Kings have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the first round. While their past four matchups have all been against the Edmonton Oilers, this time around, it was the Colorado Avalanche who dealt the final blow to Los Angeles, eliminating former Vancouver Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko.
The Kings kept things tight towards the start of the series, playing their heavy-forecheck style well and keeping Game 1 and 2’s scores separated by only one goal. In Game 3, Colorado managed to break through Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg by putting four past him compared to Los Angeles’ two goals. Colorado got off to an early lead, doubling-up by the end of the second period and then scoring three in the third to put the game out of reach for Los Angeles.
Kuzmenko missed the final couple of months of the regular season due to a knee injury, but made his 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff debut on April 23. In his previous post-season with the Kings, Kuzmenko scored three goals and three assists in six games for Los Angeles.
While not a player, another former Canuck has seen his 2025–26 playoff campaign end with Los Angeles’ elimination. Once an Assistant Coach for the Canucks on two separate occasions — from 2010 to 2013 and 2017 to 2021 — Kings Assistant Coach Newell Brown has also lost in the first-round for his second-consecutive season. Brown has been with Los Angeles since the 2024–25 season but has also previously worked in the same role for the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Chicago Blackhawks.
Having eliminated the Kings, Colorado will now advance to the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they will face the winner of the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild’s series. Regardless of which team wins, the Avalanche will face yet another former Canuck, with Tyler Myers and Casey DeSmith on the Stars and Quinn Hughes on the Wild.
Apr 23, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) is defended by Los Angeles Kings defenseman Brian Dumoulin (2) and left wing Andrei Kuzmenko (96) during the third period of game three of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesMake sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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