The Kings arrive in Washington with the season already pressing hard on them, and the numbers have not been kind. Through six games, they’re 0-4-2, still searching for their first win under Peter Laviolette’s new offensive-minded approach. They also sit last in total goals scored, although that’s partly a product of the schedule: Los Angeles has played only six games while much of the league has already logged nine, and some clubs have hit 11.
Still, the bigger issue is simple. The effort has not turned into victories.
That’s the backdrop for Tuesday’s trip to face the Capitals, and the Kings will at least get one piece back. Mats Zuccarello was activated from injured reserve earlier in the day, which should push Laviolette back toward a more standard 12-forward, six-defenseman setup.
Zuccarello has missed the last three games, and the Kings have also been without Alex Turcotte, leaving the coach short on the kind of help this offense badly needs. Kevin Fiala remains in recovery as well.
If LA is going to dig out of this hole, the clock is already ticking. The article notes that teams sitting more than four points out of a playoff spot on Nov. 1 have about a 15% chance of making the postseason. So yes, this is early - but not that early.
The roster questions don’t stop with Zuccarello’s return. If Laviolette goes with a 12+6 look, someone on defense has to come out, and his preference for Erik Gustafsson makes the blue-line decision the key one to watch.
Joel Edmundson, Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci are the most likely candidates to be the odd man out, though the way the Kings practiced late last week pointed to Ceci as the seventh defenseman. As Darryl Sutter used to say: wait for the song.
There’s also the matter of the coach’s own history at this building. Since taking over Washington, Laviolette has gone 0-4-0 at Capital One Arena, with the Capitals outscoring his Rangers 19-9 in those games. That stat doesn’t tell you anything about this Kings roster, but it does add another wrinkle to a night that already feels loaded with pressure.
From a numbers standpoint, Artemi Panarin has been a constant problem for Washington. He has 38 points - 14 goals and 24 assists - in 38 career regular-season games against the Capitals, giving him a point per game against them.
Among active skaters who have faced Washington at least 30 times, only 13 have managed a 1.00 points-per-game mark or better. His six power-play goals against the Caps are also tied for his most against any opponent.
Panarin was productive in the nation’s capital recently, too, picking up a pair of points in each of his last two visits, both last December while with the Rangers.
Adrian Kempe has his own milestone within reach. After registering his third assist of the season on Saturday, he is one point away from tying Jim Fox for 11th in Kings history.
Kempe has 478 career regular-season points, including 231 goals and 247 assists, and he’s had success against Washington before. In 17 games against the Capitals, he has two game-winning goals, including the first goal of his NHL career in a 4-2 win in Los Angeles on March 11, 2017.
He also scored the last time the Kings visited Washington, on Dec. 2, 2025.
There’s at least one reason the Kings believe the bench is in the right hands. Laviolette coached his 1,600th career regular-season game on Saturday, becoming just the eighth coach in NHL history to reach that mark. He’s also the seventh-winningest coach in league history with 846 regular-season wins.
Los Angeles’ projected lineup has Panarin on the top line with Alex Laferriere and Kempe, followed by Trevor Moore, Quinton Byfield and Zuccarello on the second unit. The third line features Joel Armia, Scott Laughton and Adam Gaudette, while Warren Foegele, Alex Turcotte and Corey Perry round out the forwards.
On defense, it’s Brandt Clarke with Gustafsson, Edmundson with Drew Doughty, and Mikey Anderson with Dumoulin, with Darcy Kuemper expected in goal and David Rittich behind him. The likely scratches are Alex Lee and Ceci, while Fiala and Turcotte are on injured reserve.
Washington comes in off a 4-2 win over New Jersey on Saturday, and the Capitals were without former Kings Matt Roy and Pierre-Luc Dubois in that game. Roy is expected to play tonight. Capitals coach Spencer Carbery also addressed the situation involving Justin Sourdif, Roy and Dubois, along with the value of Washington’s offseason additions.
Puck drop is set for 4:00 pm Pacific Time. The game will air locally on ABTV, stream on DAZN, and be available on the Kings radio feed through the ESPN LA app.
In Other News...
Kings Fans Have A New Reason To Worry About Quinton Byfield
Quinton Byfields night against the Capitals ended quickly, and for a Kings team already trying to steady itself in a rough start to the season, it was another unwelcome development. The young forward left the game with an upper-body injury, adding a new layer of concern around one of the clubs more important pieces as the team continues searching for its first win.
The issue apparently began at Mondays practice, when Byfield was hurt and later described himself as feeling a little tight. He made it only four shifts against Washington before exiting, leaving the Kings to navigate the rest of the game without him and waiting for clarity on how much time, if any, he might miss. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Finally Showed The Response Fans Have Been Waiting For
The frustration around the Kings had been building through six straight losses and a stretch of flat offense that had left them searching for any sign of life. Against Washington, they finally offered the kind of response their season had been missing, skating to a 5-2 win behind goals from Adrian Kempe, Artemi Panarin, Alex Laferriere and Erik Gustafsson, while Darcy Kuemper steadied things with 30 saves in net.
For a team that had been getting squeezed by the scoreboard and by its own inability to finish, the result mattered almost as much as the points. Peter Laviolette and several players pointed to the performance as a meaningful step forward, and now the bigger question is whether it can be the start of something more than one relieving night. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Roster Pressure Is Growing As Two Problems Demand Answers
The Kings are only a few games into the season, but the early tone has already become familiar: the offense has been too quiet and the goaltending has not consistently bailed them out. With those two issues hanging over the club, any talk of roster help is getting louder, and the list of possible fixes is broad enough to include both internal reinforcements and outside additions. Kevin Fialas return would be the cleanest in-house boost, but the Kings are also weighing whether a move from the free-agent market could help stabilize a lineup that needs more punch.
There is no simple fix waiting in the wings, which is why the conversation around upgrades has started to feel more urgent. Los Angeles wants to avoid letting a slow start harden into a longer problem, and the front office is already being pushed to look at every option it has. For now, the big question is less about whether the Kings need help and more about how aggressive theyre willing to be before the seasons early problems start to define them. [Read more 🡒]