Kings Goaltender Anton Forsberg Earns NHL Three Stars Honor as Playoff Berth Nears

Anton Forsberg has been named to the NHL’s “Three Stars” of the week, capping a sensational stretch that has the Los Angeles Kings on the brink of a fifth consecutive Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance.

The 33-year-old Swedish goaltender, in his first season with the Kings after joining from the Ottawa Senators organization, turned in a flawless 3-0-0 record over the past week, conceding fewer than one goal per game while stopping 96.7 percent of the shots he faced. He also recorded a shutout, keeping the Edmonton Oilers off the board in a pivotal Western Conference clash on April 11.

That blanking against the Oilers may have been the finest moment of his season. Edmonton entered the contest having routed the Kings 8-1 at Crypto.com Arena back in February and ranked among the league’s top five scoring teams. Forsberg’s composure under that pressure typified the calm he has brought to a Kings lineup fighting for postseason positioning.

Interim head coach D.J. Smith spoke to the ripple effect Forsberg’s play creates throughout the roster. “I think whenever your goalie is rolling, you feel better,” Smith said. “You make calmer plays.”

Forsberg has formed a reliable tandem with Darcy Kuemper, compiling a 15-11-5 record with three shutouts, a 2.57 goals-against average, and a .910 save percentage across 34 appearances. That save percentage ties him for eighth in the NHL, a remarkable achievement on a Kings team still finding its footing under new leadership.

Monday night brings another significant test when Los Angeles hosts the Seattle Kraken, and Forsberg is slated to make his fourth consecutive start – the first time this season he has been handed back-to-back-to-back-to-back starts under Smith’s guidance. A Kings victory, combined with a Nashville Predators regulation loss, would punch Los Angeles’ ticket to the postseason.

Should the Kings advance, Forsberg’s late-season surge could prove decisive. Los Angeles has not won a playoff series since reaching the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, and with the franchise’s core group aging, this window of contention remains narrow. Forsberg’s calming presence between the pipes may be exactly what this team needs to finally break through.