Early look · NHL 2026-27

Los Angeles Kings at Nashville Predators: game preview

Los AngelesKings2026-27: 0-2-1 · 1 pts · 2025-26: 35-27-20 · 90 pts · 20that

NashvillePredators2026-27: 1-1-1 · 3 pts · 2025-26: 38-34-10 · 86 pts · 23rd

Puck drop23 Jan · 5:00 PM ET

VenueBridgestone Arena

All-time meetings94 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Four points apart last season

Los Angeles finished last season 20th in the league on 90 points. Nashville finished 23rd on 86.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 95

Across 94 completed games, Nashville lead the head-to-head 48-32-14.

All-time record48-32-14Nashville's record in the series

Meetings played94This is number 95

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Nashville

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

6 Apr 2026NSH 2 – LAK 3 SO——LAK

2 Apr 2026NSH 5 – LAK 4 SO——NSH

25 Oct 2025LAK 4 – NSH 5 SO——NSH

15 Mar 2025NSH 0 – LAK 1 OT——LAK

21 Dec 2024LAK 2 – NSH 3 OT——NSH

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateLos AngelesNashville

25 Oct 20253-3-3 · 9 pts23rd4-3-2 · 10 pts13th

2 Apr 202630-26-19 · 79 pts23rd35-31-9 · 79 pts22nd

6 Apr 202632-26-19 · 83 pts21st36-31-10 · 82 pts22nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 25 Oct 2025, Los Angeles were 23rd in the league and Nashville 13th. By 6 Apr 2026 it was 21st and 22nd.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Los Angeles out-attempted Nashville 209 to 180

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

Los Angeles Kings

209 att · 101 on goal · 10 G · 9.9%

Crease9 att · 3 G

Slot82 att · 5 G

Wing81 att · 2 G

Point33 att · 0 G

Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

Nashville Predators

180 att · 90 on goal · 10 G · 11.1%

Crease15 att · 2 G

Slot72 att · 4 G

Wing66 att · 4 G

Point24 att · 0 G

Neutral zone3 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 AngelesNashville

2.88xG for per game2.50

2.43xG against per game3.14

54.2%xG share44.3%

+0.4FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.5

−7.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.4

This season: 3 games for Los Angeles, 3 for Nashville. 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

Nashville

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2737.5%

Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 11th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%

Penalty kill · 2025-2681.7% · 5th

Faceoffs · 2026-2747.6% · 80/168

Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/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.

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 →

Los Angeles

Expected starter after their game on 21 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Nashville

Expected starter after their game on 21 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Los Angeles crease

LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 20 Jan

Darcy Kuemper.8252 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx −4.2

Anton Forsberg.8001 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −3.5

No appearances against Nashville in the last meetings.

Nashville crease

NSH · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 20 Jan

Juuse Saros.9073 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Los Angeles in the last meetings.

Totals

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

6 Apr 20265 · NSH 2–3 LAK

2 Apr 20269 · NSH 5–4 LAK

25 Oct 20259 · LAK 4–5 NSH

15 Mar 20251 · NSH 0–1 LAK

21 Dec 20245 · LAK 2–3 NSH

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

Nashville2.333.003.013.28

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 suggest6.1Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings5.8Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

4 on the injury lists

Los Angeles · injuries

Jakub DvorakUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct

Jan JenikUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct

Kevin FialaLower LegIRReturn17 Oct

Nashville · injuries

Justus AnnunenUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

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.

6 Oct · NSH

Recalled G Matt Murray from Milwaukee (AHL). Placed G Justus Annunen on injured reserve.

4 Oct · NSH

Recalled LW Yegor Pinchuk from Milwaukee (AHL). Assigned G Matt Murray to Milwaukee.

3 Oct · NSH

Recalled G Matthew Murray from Milwaukee (AHL).

Injury report

Los Angeles · 2026 draft

See all: Los Angeles · 2026 draft →

#19Elton HermanssonRound 1 · ModoRW

#46Liam LefebvreRound 2 · ChicoutimiC

#49Adam GoljerRound 2 · TrencinD

#80Blake ZielinskiRound 3 · Des MoinesC

Full draft

Nashville · 2026 draft

See all: Nashville · 2026 draft →

#10Wyatt CullenRound 1 · Usa U-18LW

#31Thomas BleylRound 1 · MonctonD

#70Dmitri BorichevRound 3 · Loko-76 YaroslavlG

#106Jakub FlorisRound 4 · Lukko Jr.D

Full draft

Saturday 23 January · the full slate

See all: Saturday 23 January · the full slate →

NSHThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

Los Angeles Kings at Nashville Predators: game preview

Four points apart last season

Meeting number 95

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Los Angeles out-attempted Nashville 209 to 180

Los Angeles Kings

Nashville Predators

Los Angeles have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Los Angeles

Nashville

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Los Angeles crease

Nashville crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

4 on the injury lists

Los Angeles · injuries

Nashville · injuries

Latest moves

Los Angeles · 2026 draft

Nashville · 2026 draft

Saturday 23 January · the full slate