Early look The full preview opens on Friday 26 February, 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

Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings: game preview

Puck drop1 Mar · 10:00 PM ET
VenueCrypto.com Arena
All-time meetings184 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Two points apart last season

Anaheim finished last season 18th in the league on 92 points. Los Angeles finished 20th on 90, and the 2025-26 season series went ANA 3-1-0.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 185

Across 184 completed games, Los Angeles lead the head-to-head 95-63-26.

All-time record95-63-26Los Angeles's record in the series
Meetings played184This is number 185
2025-26 seriesANA 3-1-0
Last 53-2Anaheim
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
17 Jan 2026LAK 1 – ANA 2 OT——ANA
16 Jan 2026ANA 3 – LAK 2 SO——ANA
27 Dec 2025ANA 1 – LAK 6——LAK
28 Nov 2025LAK 4 – ANA 5 SO——ANA
10 Apr 2025ANA 1 – LAK 6——LAK
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateAnaheimLos Angeles
28 Nov 202515-8-1 · 31 pts7th11-6-7 · 29 pts12th
27 Dec 202521-15-2 · 44 pts12th16-12-9 · 41 pts19th
16 Jan 202623-21-3 · 49 pts25th19-16-12 · 50 pts23rd
17 Jan 202624-21-3 · 51 pts21st19-16-13 · 51 pts23rd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 28 Nov 2025, Anaheim were 7th in the league and Los Angeles 12th. By 17 Jan 2026 it was 21st and 23rd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Los Angeles out-attempted Anaheim 254 to 251

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

Anaheim Ducks

251 att · 118 on goal · 9 G · 7.6%
Crease20 att · 2 G
Slot87 att · 6 G
Wing96 att · 1 G
Point44 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

Los Angeles Kings

254 att · 103 on goal · 13 G · 12.6%
Crease17 att · 2 G
Slot110 att · 6 G
Wing91 att · 4 G
Point32 att · 1 G
Neutral zone4 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.

AnaheimLos Angeles
2.19xG for per game2.88
3.49xG against per game2.43
38.6%xG share54.2%
+2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals+0.4
+2.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−7.7

This season: 2 games for Anaheim, 3 for Los Angeles. 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

Anaheim

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2750.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.6% · 23rd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2785.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.4% · 27th
Faceoffs · 2026-2743.9% · 50/114
Drawn · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-277 (3.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

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

Skaters

Skaters to watch

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

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
91Leo Carlsson21452.50
61Cutter Gauthier22242.00
64Mikael Granlund21121.00
10Artemi Panarin32131.00
56Erik Haula31231.00
14Alex Laferriere31231.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
67Tristan Luneau20110.50
47Noah Warren20110.50
92Brandt Clarke30220.67
8Drew Doughty30110.33
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 27 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 27 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Anaheim crease

ANA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 26 Feb

Lukas Dostal.9182 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +2.0

No appearances against Los Angeles in the last meetings.

Los Angeles crease

LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 26 Feb

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

No appearances against Anaheim in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 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

17 Jan 20263 · LAK 1–2 ANA
16 Jan 20265 · ANA 3–2 LAK
27 Dec 20257 · ANA 1–6 LAK
28 Nov 20259 · LAK 4–5 ANA
10 Apr 20257 · ANA 1–6 LAK

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Anaheim3.502.503.333.51
Los Angeles3.005.002.743.01

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 suggest6.4Goals 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

6 on the injury lists

Anaheim · injuries

Drew HellesonLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ian MooreLower BodyIRReturn16 Oct
Troy TerryHipIRReturn21 Nov

Los Angeles · injuries

Jakub DvorakUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Jan JenikUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct
Kevin FialaLower LegIRReturn17 Oct
1 Oct · ANA

Signed D Tristan Luneau to a six-year contract extension.

30 Sep · ANA

Reassigned C Roger McQueen and C Cruz Lucius to San Diego (AHL). Recalled D Noah Warren, D Ian Mitchell and D Tristan Luneau from San Diego. Placed D Drew Helleson on injured reserve. Moved RW Troy Terry from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · ANA

Placed G Laurent Brossoit and D Travis Mitchell on waivers.

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.

Injury report
#15Nikita KlepovRound 1 · SaginawRW
#28Marcus NordmarkRound 1 · Djurgarden Jr.LW
#45Jayden KurtzRound 2 · RogersD
#50Mathis PrestonRound 2 · VancouverRW
Full draft
#19Elton HermanssonRound 1 · ModoRW
#46Liam LefebvreRound 2 · ChicoutimiC
#49Adam GoljerRound 2 · TrencinD
#80Blake ZielinskiRound 3 · Des MoinesC
Full draft

Updated after every final