The Kings are finally getting a more normal stretch of hockey, and tonight gives them another test of how they handle it. After a choppy opening two weeks to the 2026-27 season, Los Angeles is in the middle of a five-game road trip that has started to build some rhythm. Now comes the first back-to-back of the year, with the Kings opening it in New York against the Rangers.
So far, the road work has gone reasonably well. Los Angeles is 2-1-0 away from home, with much of that success tied to strong goaltending.
The problem is everything in front of the crease. Outside of the top line, the offense has not given the Kings nearly enough, and that has been true even with injuries already thinning the forward group in October.
Beyond Adrian Kempe, Artemi Panarin, Alex Laferriere, and Brandt Clarke, the production just has not been there. If the Kings want to start collecting wins with any consistency, that has to change.
Quinton Byfield is once again a question mark after skating in Sunday’s practice in a red no-contact jersey. His game has not fully taken off even when he’s been healthy, but losing him matters for a team already short up the middle. At LA’s morning skate, coach Peter Laviolette said he was hopeful the young center could play tonight, especially with Mats Zuccarello already ruled out because of an upper-body injury.
That situation leaves the Kings with a few lineup decisions to sort through. They could go back to an 11+7 setup, or stay with 12 forwards and six defensemen.
If it’s the latter, Taylor Ward becomes an interesting option to draw in. He does not project as a top-six offensive force, but he would bring fresh legs and maybe a different look for a group coming off a loss in New Jersey.
Zach Dooley also had pregame quotes from Ward.
Whatever the final alignment looks like, the Kings need more pucks on net. Their shot volume has been far too low, and that showed two nights ago when they managed only 13 shots. Nights like that usually leave little room for error.
There is also the Panarin angle. Artemi Panarin is back in familiar territory at Madison Square Garden, and so is Laviolette, with the former Rangers forward set for another meeting with his old team. The question is how much revenge is actually on his mind.
The numbers around Panarin against New York are eye-catching. He has 12 goals and 19 points in 13 career games against the Rangers, the highest rate of production by any active skater with at least 10 games played against the Manhattan-based club.
Los Angeles has also had the upper hand in this matchup for a while. The Kings have beaten the Rangers in each of their last five meetings, a stretch that began on Jan.
20, 2024. In those games, the Kings have outscored New York 18-7 and killed off 13 of 14 shorthanded situations, allowing only one power-play goal for a 92.3 percent penalty kill.
One other note from the stat sheet: Joel Edmundson unleashed the third-hardest shot by a defenseman and the fifth-hardest among all skaters last Thursday on Long Island, clocked at 99.10 mph.
Here is how the Kings are projected to line up, with updates possible if pregame warmups bring changes:
Panarin - Laferriere - Kempe
Moore - Byfield - Haula
Lee - Laughton - Armia
Wright - Helenius - Perry
Gustafsson - Clarke
Edmundson - Doughty
Anderson - Dumoulin
Kuemper
Forsberg
Likely scratches: (F) Zuccarello, Ward (D) Ceci
Injured Reserve: Fiala, Turcotte
New York comes in off a 7-4 loss to Ottawa on Saturday and is projected to counter with this lineup:
Perreault - Zibanejad - Lafrenière
Kartye - Miller - Dorofeyev
Cuylle - Laba - Tolvanen
Bjorkstrand - Glendening - Raddysh
Gavrikov - Fox
Pettersson - Durzi
Šmits - Schneider
James Reimer, newly signed, is expected to start in goal for the Rangers.
Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 pm Pacific Time, with the game airing locally on ABTV and streaming on DAZN. A Kings radio feed is also available on the ESPN LA app.
In Other News...
Kings Catch Rangers At A Telling Moment In Net
The Rangers are turning to veteran depth in net for their upcoming home game against the Kings, signing James Reimer to help bridge the gap while injuries have thinned their goalie room. With Igor Shesterkin and Joonas Korpisalo both sidelined, New York added Reimer to provide insurance and give young Dylan Garand a breather after carrying the load in the crease.
For Los Angeles, it is a notable time to catch a team still trying to preserve its perfect home record. The matchup now comes with a fresh wrinkle in goal for New York, as the Rangers look to keep things steady while easing the strain on Garand and seeing how quickly Reimer can settle into the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Take Another Hit With Zuccarello Out For Rangers Game
Mats Zuccarello will be out again when the Kings face the Rangers, another frustrating setback for a forward the club had just started to get back into the mix. Head coach Peter Laviolette said Zuccarello is dealing with an upper-body injury, and the latest absence comes after he had already worked his way back into the lineup and was trying to find some rhythm with Los Angeles.
For a Kings team sitting seventh in the Pacific Division, the timing is less than ideal. Zuccarello has been available for only six games with Los Angeles and has already missed four because of injuries, leaving the Kings to keep adjusting their forward group as they try to steady their season and hang in the race. [Read more 🡒]
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Drew Doughty is in a different place this season than he has been for most of his Kings career, wearing the captains letter for the first time while also skating through the final year of an eight-year contract. The veteran defenseman has one assist in nine games so far, but the bigger conversation around him is no longer just about what he provides on the ice now, it is about how long he wants this run in Los Angeles to last.
The early signs point toward a player who still sees plenty of hockey ahead, and who would prefer to keep that future tied to the Kings. Doughty has said he wants to stay in Los Angeles on a team-friendly deal, even though extension talks with general manager Ken Holland have not happened yet, which leaves one of the franchises most important decisions sitting right in front of them as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]