The LA Kings finally got into the win column Tuesday night, leaving Capital One Arena with a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals for their first win of the 2026-27 season.
Washington came out first on the scoreboard just before the game reached the midpoint of the opening period. Off a rush, Ryan Leonard pulled up near the top of the left circle, moved into the slot and got a shot through traffic. Matt Roy’s screen in front of Darcy Kuemper helped make it work, and Leonard’s finish gave him his team-leading eighth point of the season and a 1-0 Capitals lead.
The Capitals stretched that edge later in the first on the power play. Cole Hutson handled most of the work himself, carrying across the offensive blue line, shifting to his forehand and snapping a shot high on the glove side past Kuemper. It was Hutson’s second goal of the season and made it 2-0.
Los Angeles answered with the kind of push its top line needed. Adrian Kempe got the Kings on the board when Artemi Panarin drove in transition, cut from the right wing and set him up in stride. Kempe took the pass in the left circle and finished top shelf past Logan Thompson for his second goal of the season.
Then, with two seconds left in the first period, the Kings pulled even. Mikey Anderson jumped aggressively down the wall and forced a turnover deep in the offensive zone. The puck bounced to Panarin, who wasted no time and beat Thompson high with a quick release for his team-leading fourth goal of the season.
The momentum kept swinging Los Angeles’ way in the third. On a Kings power play that was winding down, Erik Gustafsson took matters into his own hands, weaving through traffic and skating in alone before beating Thompson on the forehand. It was Gustafsson’s first goal in a Kings sweater, and it put Los Angeles in front 3-2.
Kempe added another one later in the period to make it the Kings’ first multi-goal game of the season. He sparked the sequence with a strong forecheck in the corner, forcing a turnover below the goal line. From there, he headed to the net and Panarin found him again, allowing Kempe to finish for his second of the night and a 4-2 lead.
Scott Laughton closed it out with an empty-net goal late, sealing the 5-2 final.
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 🡒]