Anze Kopitar's 20-Year Run Ends in Brutal 5-1 Playoff Loss, and the Kings Still Can't Get Out of the First Round

It wasn't real until the final six minutes. That's when Anze Kopitar, standing on the ice at 38 years old, finally understood there would be no next year. The Colorado Avalanche swept the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 in Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals on Sunday night, and with that loss, one of the longest careers in modern hockey came to a quiet, painful end.

Twenty years. That's how long Kopitar played for the Kings, dating back to the 2006-07 season. He watched the organization win its second Stanley Cup in 2014, and then... nothing. No second-round trips. No deep runs. Just first-round exits that pile up year after year, and now his career ends the same way it's ended for the Kings since that Cup: knocked out early, heading home empty.

The Sweep Was Over Before It Started

The Avalanche put this one away fast. Nathan MacKinnon scored in the first period, and Cale Makar added another in the second to give Colorado a 2-0 lead before the Kings could even breathe. Joel Edmundson scored as well, and by the end of it all, the scoreboard read 5-1. Game over. Series over. Career over.

The Avalanche will move on to face either the Dallas Stars or the Minnesota Wild in the second round. The Kings will go home wondering what could have been, and they'll do it without Kopitar on the roster for the first time since he walked into their building in 2006.

Bittersweet, But He Got His Ride

"It's hard to comprehend," Kopitar said afterward, his two children beside him. "But at the same time, these are the two reasons I'm really going to enjoy next year, too. It's very bittersweet for sure. There's going to be some tears. But that's the way life goes, right? It's a circle. It's been one hell of a ride for 20 years."

That's grace under pressure. That's a guy who spent two decades bleeding for one team and still found something to be grateful for when it all ended in defeat. The Kings have work to do this offseason. Kopitar won't be part of it.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.