It’s opening night at last, and the Kings are stepping into their 60th season with a quick trip to Colorado and a familiar opponent on the other side. This is more than just the first game on the calendar. It’s a chance to reset after a summer of change, answer a playoff loss from last spring, and start sorting out what this new-look group can actually be.
The biggest early questions are all over the lineup. On defense, the spotlight is on who lines up next to Brandt Clarke.
Joel Edmundson is potentially unavailable because of injury, which opens the door for Erik Gustafsson to skate beside the young blueliner. Gustafsson has already worked under new head coach Peter Laviolette, and his game fits what the staff is asking for from the back end: puck movement and speed.
That broader identity is supposed to show up everywhere. The Kings are expecting a quicker pace and more creativity in the offensive zone, but not at the expense of what they do without the puck. That shift should also carry over to special teams, where Los Angeles is supposed to bring more movement on the power play than it has had in a long time.
Up front, Corey Perry remains a storyline after missing most of training camp because of a personal matter. He returned to practice on Tuesday, but it’s still unclear whether he’ll play tonight or whether Laviolette will go with Andre Lee, who turned heads in several preseason games.
Goaltending is another spot without a locked-in answer. Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg are back as the Kings’ tandem for a second straight season, and the starter’s role is still up for grabs. Kuemper is coming off a down year, while Forsberg hasn’t played much over the course of an 84-game season, so both will be trying to earn Laviolette’s confidence early.
There’s also some history attached to this one. Brian Dumoulin said the group remembers the last playoff meeting well, but he also pointed out that Colorado still has a lot of the same players.
“A little bit of both. Obviously I remember that series pretty well.
They have a lot of the same players too, so we should feel confident in knowing their game plan. I feel like maybe we know theirs better than they know ours, obviously with a new coach.
But at the end, it can all be about game plan, but it’s just winning puck battles and handling momentum, handling your own emotions. Both teams are gonna be ready to go.
So it’s gonna be a fun game to play in, and just being able to stay poised and confident and handle the swings of the game.”
Scott Laughton framed it as the kind of test you want right away.
“I think you always do. I think you get swept by a team and it’s still pretty fresh in your mind. I think you want to get off to a good start, go play a simple road game against a really good hockey team - and I believe we’re a really good hockey team too, so it’s going to be fun to kind of get in the action right away and get going here.”
There are a few notable numbers hanging over the night, too. Wednesday’s game is just the third regular-season contest the Kings have ever played in September, following the back-to-back games against the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL Premiere Series on Sept. 29 and 30, 2007, in London, England.
Drew Doughty begins the 2026-27 season 17 games shy of tying Dustin Brown’s 1,296 games played for second place in franchise history. And newly signed forwards Mats Zuccarello and Erik Haula are both expected to make their Kings debuts in Denver, with Zuccarello set to become the first Norwegian-born player to suit up for Los Angeles.
The projected lineup has some real newness to it. Up front, it’s Panarin, Byfield and Kempe on the top line, followed by Zuccarello, Turcotte and Laferriere.
Moore, Haula and Laughton are listed together on the third unit, with Lee, Helenius and Armia rounding things out. On the blue line, Gustafsson is paired with Clarke, Dumoulin with Doughty, and Anderson with Ceci.
Kuemper is projected to start in goal, with Forsberg behind him. Perry and Edmundson are the likely scratches, while Fiala is on injured reserve.
Colorado comes in after a 55-16-11 season and a sweep at the hands of Vegas in the Western Conference Finals. Their projected lineup features Lehkonen, MacKinnon and Necas up top, with Landeskog, Nelson and Kadri behind them.
The rest of the forward group is listed as Schwartz, Svechkov and Hughes, then Kelly, Roy and T. Makar.
On defense, Toews and Makar are together, followed by Kulak and Malinski, then Manson and Burns. Blackwood is expected in net.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm Pacific Time, with the game airing nationally on TNT.
In Other News...
Kings Prospects Are Set For Ontario But One Decision Still Looms
Ontarios AHL roster is almost set as the Reign prepare to open the season under returning coach Andrew Lord, now with a new assistant added to the staff. A wave of players on minor-league-only deals has already been sent down to ECHL Greenville, leaving a 26-player group built largely around Kings prospects and the AHL veterans who will help steer the room.
Joe Hicketts anchors the defense as captain, with Scott Perunovich, Henry Brzustewicz and Jared Woolley among the other blue-liners expected to factor into the mix, while Kenny Connors and Jared Wright are part of the forward group trying to carve out their place. Even with the camp picture coming into focus, one important call remains open, and Ontarios early-season shape still depends on how the organization ultimately sorts out a prospect whose next step is not yet locked in. [Read more 🡒]