The Kings’ winless skid to open the 2026-27 season reached six games Saturday night, with Boston leaving Crypto.com Arena with a 4-1 victory.
LA actually struck first, and did it fast. Just 31 seconds in, the new-look top line put together a clean opening sequence: Alex Laferriere started things by feeding Artemi Panarin for a controlled zone entry, then drove to the front of the net. His first chance was turned aside after a Brandt Clarke point shot was deflected on goal, but Adrian Kempe tracked down the rebound and set up Laferriere for the game’s first goal.
From there, the Bruins gradually took control of the night.
Boston drew even less than three minutes into the second period on a solo rush from David Pastrnak. The Czechia native got a tip along the wall in his own end, nudged the puck out to center and then won the race to it in transition. With speed and space, he carried into the zone and ripped a wrist shot from the top of the right-hand circle, beating Anton Forsberg inside the far post to make it 1-1.
The game stayed level until late in the third, when Boston cashed in on a scramble in front of the Kings net. Forsberg stopped the initial shot but couldn’t corral the rebound, and as he tried to pull it in, the puck came loose. Maxim Khusnutdinov found it and slid it into the open net for the go-ahead goal.
Boston added two more empty-net goals in the final three minutes, with Elias Lindholm and JJ Peterka finishing off the 4-1 result.
In Other News...
Kings Early Season Spiral Is Raising A Bigger Concern
Alex Laferriere gave the Kings exactly the start they wanted at Crypto.com Arena, scoring 31 seconds into the game against Boston. It was the kind of quick strike that can settle a team into a rhythm, but the lead did not last, and Los Angeles spent the rest of the night chasing a game it never fully got back under control.
The 4-1 loss was the Kings sixth straight to open the 2026-2027 season, another frustrating step in a start that has already begun to raise bigger questions about how quickly this group can stabilize. Now the schedule turns immediately to a five-game road trip, beginning against the Capitals, with little time for the Kings to sort out what is slipping away before the trip gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Face One Huge Goalie Question As Trade Speculation Builds
The goaltending market is already starting to shape the conversation around the Kings, even before any real trade movement has materialized. Around the league, teams are weighing big-picture roster decisions, and for Los Angeles, the focus has naturally drifted toward Winnipeg Jets star Connor Hellebuyck as the kind of name that could alter the entire outlook in net.
The hurdle, of course, is figuring out what a deal like that would actually require, and whether the Kings would be willing to meet the price if talks ever got serious. With other clubs juggling their own roster and cap questions, from Minnesotas goaltending situation to Philadelphias stance on Tyson Foerster, Los Angeles is operating in a market where every premium asset comes with complications and few easy answers. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Give Taylor Ward Another Chance With Boston Coming In
The Kings shuffled their roster again before welcoming the Boston Bruins, bringing Taylor Ward back up to the NHL group after he had recently cleared waivers and been assigned to Ontario. Ward joined practice with the club, another reminder of how often he has moved between Los Angeles and the AHL in previous seasons as the organization keeps looking for the right fit on the roster.
Jared Wright, meanwhile, was sent back to AHL Ontario after another brief NHL stint, leaving the Kings to adjust their lineup on the fly once more. For a team trying to manage the bottom of the roster while staying ready for a heavy opponent, the next call-up or reassignment can come quickly, and Ward now gets another opportunity to make his case. [Read more 🡒]