Kings vs Avalanche Game Preview: Kings Hockey is Back

The Kings will be without Kevin Fiala due to his leg surgery. The Kings have also scratched Corey Perry and Erik Gustafsson in tonight's matchup. The Avalanche will dress 11 forwards and 7 defensemen tonight. The Avalanche will also be without Logan O'Connor (lower body) and Zachary L'Heureux (lower body).

The projected starting goaltenders tonight are Darcy Kuemper for the Kings and Mackenzie Blackwood for the Avalanche. This will also be the first regular-season game with Peter Laviolette as their head coach. This is game 1 of 84, so the Kings are looking to start the 2026-27 NHL season with a win.

The Kings ' defence will need to be cautious against this Avalanche team, which averaged 3.63 goals per game and allowed the fewest goals in the NHL at 2.40 per game. While the Kings' defence ranked 7th in the NHL last season, their offence needed a big spark.