Early look The full preview opens on Saturday 12 December, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Los Angeles Kings at Detroit Red Wings: game preview

Puck drop15 Dec · 7:30 PM ET
VenueLittle Caesars Arena
All-time meetings228 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Two points apart last season

Los Angeles finished last season 20th in the league on 90 points. Detroit finished 16th on 92.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 229

Across 228 completed games, Los Angeles lead the head-to-head 114-102-12.

All-time record114-102-12Los Angeles's record in the series
Meetings played228This is number 229
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Detroit
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
27 Jan 2026LAK 3 – DET 1——LAK
30 Oct 2025DET 4 – LAK 3 SO——DET
27 Jan 2025LAK 2 – DET 5——DET
16 Nov 2024DET 1 – LAK 4——LAK
13 Jan 2024LAK 3 – DET 5——DET
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateLos AngelesDetroit
30 Oct 20255-3-4 · 14 pts11th8-3-0 · 16 pts5th
27 Jan 202621-16-13 · 55 pts22nd32-16-5 · 69 pts4th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 30 Oct 2025, Los Angeles were 11th in the league and Detroit 5th. By 27 Jan 2026 it was 22nd and 4th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Los Angeles out-attempted Detroit 142 to 125

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Los Angeles Kings

142 att · 61 on goal · 6 G · 9.8%
Crease11 att · 2 G
Slot57 att · 3 G
Wing50 att · 0 G
Point17 att · 0 G
Neutral zone7 att · 1 G

Detroit Red Wings

125 att · 55 on goal · 4 G · 7.3%
Crease13 att · 2 G
Slot57 att · 1 G
Wing30 att · 1 G
Point23 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Los Angeles have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

Los AngelesDetroit
2.88xG for per game3.23
2.43xG against per game2.85
54.2%xG share53.1%
+0.4FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.7
−7.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.6

This season: 3 games for Los Angeles, 3 for Detroit. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Los Angeles

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2716.7%
Power play · 2025-2617.0% · 28th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2674.6% · 30th
Faceoffs · 2026-2756.9% · 103/181
Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Detroit

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2622.6% · 12th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.1% · 23rd
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.6% · 97/181
Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
10Artemi Panarin32131.00
56Erik Haula31231.00
14Alex Laferriere31231.00
93Alex DeBrincat32241.33
23Lucas Raymond30331.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
92Brandt Clarke30220.67
8Drew Doughty30110.33
72Justin Faulk31120.67
53Moritz Seider30110.33
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 12 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 12 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Los Angeles crease

LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 12 Dec

Darcy Kuemper.8252 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx −4.2
Anton Forsberg.8001 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −3.5

No appearances against Detroit in the last meetings.

Detroit crease

DET · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 12 Dec

John Gibson.9033 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Los Angeles in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

27 Jan 20264 · LAK 3–1 DET
30 Oct 20257 · DET 4–3 LAK
27 Jan 20257 · LAK 2–5 DET
16 Nov 20245 · DET 1–4 LAK
13 Jan 20248 · LAK 3–5 DET

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Los Angeles3.005.002.743.01
Detroit2.332.672.943.15

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.0Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

10 on the injury lists

Los Angeles · injuries

Jakub DvorakUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Jan JenikUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct
Kevin FialaLower LegIRReturn17 Oct

Detroit · injuries

Carter BearUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Chase StillmanUndisclosedIRReturn9 Oct
J.T. CompherUndisclosedOutReturn9 Oct
Jacob Bernard-DockerUpper BodyIRReturn9 Oct
Marco KasperUpper BodyIRReturn20 Oct
Mason AppletonUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct
Simon EdvinssonContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct
27 Sep · LAK

Placed D Otto Salin on the injured non-roster list. Loaned G Erik Portillo to Ontario (AHL).

24 Sep · LAK

Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford (AHL) Fs Martin Chromia, Cole Guttman, Lane Pederson and Francesco Pinelli and D Joe Hicketts. Loaned Fs Aatu Jamsen and Koehn Ziemmer, Ds Angus Booth, Kirill Kirsanov and Jared Woolley to Ontario. Placed F Jan Jenik and D Jakub Dvorak on injured reserve.

15 Jul 2026 · LAK

Signed F Elton Hermansson to a three-year, entry-level contract.

2 Oct · DET

Placed F Dylan Larkin on the non-roster injured reserve.

25 Sep · DET

Assigned Fs Ondrej Becher, Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, Noah Dower Nilsson, Dylan James, Jesse Kiiskinen, John Leonard, Sutter Muzzatti, Theo Rochette, Dominik Shine and Wilmer Skoog, Ds Ronnie Attard, Jacob Bryson, Shai Buium and William Lagesson and Gs Trey Augustine and Michal Postava to Grand Rapids (AHL).

20 Aug 2026 · DET

Acquired F Sutter Muzzatti from Nashville Predators for future considerations.

Injury report
#19Elton HermanssonRound 1 · ModoRW
#46Liam LefebvreRound 2 · ChicoutimiC
#49Adam GoljerRound 2 · TrencinD
#80Blake ZielinskiRound 3 · Des MoinesC
Full draft
#23Jeffrey (JP) HurlbertRound 1 · KamloopsLW
#47Victor PlanteRound 2 · Usa U-18LW
#79Michal OrsulakRound 3 · Prince AlbertG
#108Adam LevacRound 4 · PeterboroughC
Full draft

Updated after every final