The Los Angeles Kings were considerably shorthanded when the Pittsburgh Penguins came to down for a Thursday evening matchup at Crypto.com Arena. The fact that team captain Anze Kopitar wasn't available because of a lower-body injury was more insult to injury amidst what ultimately proved to be a 4-2 Kings loss to the Penguins.
With the loss, the Kings are now a pedestrian 1-3-1 through the first five games of the 2025-26 season.
Following the loss, Kings head coach Jim Hiller provided a somewhat cryptic update on Kopitar, who announced that this season would be his last in the NHL so that he could focus on spending more time with his family.
“We’re going to take a closer look at it still probably in the morning and maybe we’ll have a better update for you tomorrow,” he said via Russell Morgan on X. “We’re still kind of evaluating where it’s at.”
Kopitar has skated in four games so far this season, and has four assists.
The Kings are dealing with multiple injuries to key players
Not only were the Kings without Kopitar against the Penguins, but they also didn't have goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who is dealing with a lower-body injury of his own.
Additionally, the Kings are without forward Corey Perry, who was hurt during a practice session prior to Training Camp and was expected to miss the next several weeks. While Perry is said to be skating, he's not yet ready to return.
Kopitar announced prior to this season that it would be his last in the NHL, citing a desire to be at home more with his family.
“These guys (wife and children) that are sitting here with me, have been with me for the past 20-plus years and now they deserve a husband and a dad to be home and present for the moments that are going to be leading up, especially for these guys (children),” Kopitar said via NHL.com. “They’re soon going to be teenagers and we all know that’s a very important time of their lives and I want to be as present as I can be.”
One of the best players in Kings history, Kopitar holds multiple team records.
