The Los Angeles Kings spent a long stretch making life miserable for the Vegas Golden Knights, but that grip has loosened.
From October 30, 2024, to January 14, 2026, Los Angeles ripped off four straight wins against Vegas and piled up 23 goals in the process. The Golden Knights kept running into the same headaches: goaltending that held together just enough, a 1-3-1 look that clogged things up, and Kings goals that seemed to arrive at exactly the wrong time.
Then January 14 flipped the script.
Mark Stone ended that game 25 seconds into overtime, and Vegas escaped after first erasing Brandt Clarke’s tying goal with 1:27 left in the third period. That win changed the feel of the matchup.
The Golden Knights followed it by taking the next two meetings, 3-2 in overtime on February 5, 2026, then 4-1 on February 25, 2026, before another 6-4 victory. In all, Vegas has now won three straight against Los Angeles and outscored the Kings 13-7.
And yes, that run came even after Los Angeles added Artemi Panarin - the same Panarin who scored 49 goals in 2023-24 with the New York Rangers.
The challenge for Vegas now is keeping that edge going in 2026-27, and the matchup points to a pretty clear plan. The Kings enter the season as the NHL’s oldest team, with an average age of 30.75. Their roster includes Corey Perry at 41, Mats Zuccarello at 38, and Erik Haula at 35, and most of their additions are on the wrong side of 30 as well.
That aging profile matters because Los Angeles gave the puck away a lot last season, finishing with the 12th-most giveaways in the league at 1,286. That helped drag down the offense, which finished with the fourth-fewest team goals in 2025-26 at 220.
For Vegas, the answer is straightforward: force mistakes and make the Kings pay in transition. Mark Stone fits that assignment perfectly, with the kind of hands and anticipation that let him strip pucks and turn defense into offense. Mitch Marner brings a similar skill set, only with more speed, and that makes him a problem for Los Angeles.
Vegas isn’t exactly a spring chicken either, sitting fourth-oldest in the NHL at 29.95. But against the Kings, the Golden Knights have shown they can use intelligence and pace in the right spots to swing the series their way.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Just Made A Summer Move Fans Need To Watch
The Golden Knights opened their summer with a roster move that may not grab headlines outside the market, but it matters to how the rest of the offseason takes shape. Moving on from Keegan Kolesar, a familiar depth piece who had been part of Vegas forward mix, gives the club more flexibility as it keeps sorting out the cap picture and the pieces it wants to carry into next season.
There is also a much different kind of watch item on the horizon for fans who like the teams look as much as its lineup. The NHL announced its Hometown Remix program, set for the 2026-27 season, with all 32 teams getting special jersey designs tied to their citys culture and history. For a franchise that has built a strong identity in a short time, it adds another layer to how the Knights will present themselves, and it comes with the usual reminder that those sweaters are worth taking care of if fans want them to last. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Are Leaving Behind A Look Fans Know Well
The Golden Knights are about to make a subtle but notable change to their wardrobe, shelving the gray jerseys that have been part of their regular-season look and making room for a new alternate sweater. The team will keep its metallic gold home jersey and white road jersey intact, so the move is less about reinventing the brand than reshaping the third option fans have come to recognize over the years.
The change comes through the NHLs Hometown Remix initiative, a leaguewide collaboration with Fanatics, which became the NHLs official uniform outfitter in 2024. Details on the new alternate uniform are still to come in the next few months, leaving Vegas with one familiar element to hold onto and one unanswered question that should draw plenty of interest once the reveal arrives. [Read more 🡒]