With the 2026-27 season creeping closer, the Kings’ schedule already offers a handful of dates that jump off the page. Los Angeles has been active behind the scenes with trades and signings, and the roster looks different now that names like Andrei Kuzmenko and former captain Anze Kopitar are gone. That makes the coming season even more intriguing, especially with a slate that includes rivalry games, playoff rematches and a potentially huge finish.
The opener is the obvious place to start. The Kings begin on the road against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on Oct. 3, with puck drop set for 7 p.m.
PDT. It’s the first chance to see the new group in action, and it comes against a team that already handed Los Angeles a 4-1 loss on Oct.
7, 2025. Colorado also swept the Kings in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, so there’s no shortage of motivation here.
Los Angeles will have to find a way to slow down Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon if it wants to avoid another rough night.
A few days later, the Kings get their first California rivalry game when they visit the Sharks on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. PDT in San Jose.
This one has the ingredients for a lively early-season matchup. The Sharks are building around a young core led by Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, and they added veteran defenseman Jacob Trouba, who brings plenty of physicality in his first season with the teal-colored squad.
Games between these two teams tend to carry extra emotion, and this one should be no different.
Another date worth circling comes on Oct. 13, when Edmonton visits Crypto.com Arena for a 7:30 p.m. PDT showdown.
The Kings and Oilers have plenty of recent playoff history, and that always seems to add some bite to the matchup. The biggest assignment for Los Angeles will be trying to contain Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, a duo that can flip a game in a hurry.
McDavid’s speed and Draisaitl’s playmaking and finishing make them one of the league’s most dangerous combinations, which means the Kings will need to be sharp from the opening puck drop.
Thanksgiving weekend brings another pair of games that should be on the radar. The first Freeway Faceoff of the season starts on Nov. 27 at Honda Center, with the Kings and Ducks dropping the puck at 1 p.m.
PST. Then the teams meet again the very next night, this time in Los Angeles, with the Ducks visiting Crypto.com Arena at 6 p.m.
PST. Anaheim has moved on from a lot of its veterans, but it still has a promising group led by Leo Carlsson, the highest-paid player on the roster and in the NHL, and Cutter Gauthier.
Lukas Dostal has also become a reliable presence in goal, capable of stealing a game when he’s on. That’s why this rivalry never really loses its edge.
The regular season ends with a trip to T-Mobile Arena on April 10 at 7:30 p.m. PDT to face the Vegas Golden Knights.
Depending on the standings, this one could carry real playoff implications, which only raises the temperature. Vegas has built its identity around physical play and relentless pressure, and that style makes them a tough out any night.
For the Kings, it looks like the kind of game that could tell us plenty about where they stand heading into the postseason.