Washington Capitals at Los Angeles Kings: game preview
WashingtonCapitals2026-27: 1-1-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 43-30-9 · 95 pts · 12that
Los AngelesKings2026-27: 0-2-1 · 1 pts · 2025-26: 35-27-20 · 90 pts · 20thFive points apart last season
Washington finished last season 12th in the league on 95 points. Los Angeles finished 20th on 90.
Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.
Meeting number 126
Across 125 completed games, Los Angeles lead the head-to-head 70-50-5.
Last 5 meetings
See all: Last 5 meetings →The table on each 2025-26 meeting night
League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 17 Nov 2025, Washington were 25th in the league and Los Angeles 7th. By 2 Dec 2025 it was 6th and 12th.
Los Angeles out-attempted Washington 134 to 97
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Washington Capitals
Los Angeles Kings
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.
This season: 2 games for Washington, 3 for Los Angeles. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Washington, 10 for Los Angeles.
2025-26: 82 games for Washington, 82 for Los Angeles.
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
Washington
Small sampleLos Angeles
Small sampleSkaters to watch
Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.
Who has stopped this matchup
Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.
Expected starter after their game on 4 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Expected starter after their game on 4 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Washington crease
WSH · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 3 Jan
No appearances against Los Angeles in the last meetings.
Los Angeles crease
LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 3 Jan
No appearances against Washington in the last meetings.
Scoring rates point to about 6.1 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
Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.
Scoring rates
Washington3.002.503.212.98
Los Angeles3.005.002.743.01Goals 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.
6 on the injury lists
Washington · injuries
Los Angeles · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen and D Jonathan McDonald from their professional tryout agreements. Assigned LW Maxim Schäfer to Cape Breton (QMJHL).
Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen from his professional tryout agreement.
Placed D Justin Holl on waivers for the purpose of being loaned to Hershey (AHL).
Placed D Otto Salin on the injured non-roster list. Loaned G Erik Portillo to Ontario (AHL).
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.
Signed F Elton Hermansson to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Washington · 2026 draft
See all: Washington · 2026 draft →Los Angeles · 2026 draft
See all: Los Angeles · 2026 draft →Wednesday 6 January · the full slate
See all: Wednesday 6 January · the full slate →
Updated after every final