Early look · NHL 2026-27

Chicago Blackhawks at Los Angeles Kings: game preview

ChicagoBlackhawks2026-27: 1-3-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 29-39-14 · 72 pts · 31stat

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

Puck drop13 Feb · 6:00 PM ET

VenueCrypto.com Arena

All-time meetings236 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Eighteen points apart last season

Chicago finished last season 31st in the league on 72 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.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 237

Across 236 completed games, Chicago lead the head-to-head 121-95-20.

All-time record121-95-20Chicago's record in the series

Meetings played236This is number 237

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Los Angeles

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

6 Dec 2025CHI 0 – LAK 6——LAK

4 Dec 2025CHI 2 – LAK 1——CHI

26 Oct 2025LAK 3 – CHI 1——LAK

20 Mar 2025LAK 3 – CHI 1——LAK

3 Mar 2025LAK 1 – CHI 5——CHI

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateChicagoLos Angeles

26 Oct 20254-3-2 · 10 pts14th4-3-3 · 11 pts13th

4 Dec 202512-9-6 · 30 pts19th12-8-7 · 31 pts17th

6 Dec 202512-10-6 · 30 pts21st13-8-7 · 33 pts14th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 26 Oct 2025, Chicago were 14th in the league and Los Angeles 13th. By 6 Dec 2025 it was 21st and 14th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Los Angeles out-attempted Chicago 176 to 157

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

Chicago Blackhawks

157 att · 82 on goal · 3 G · 3.7%

Crease11 att · 2 G

Slot47 att · 1 G

Wing63 att · 0 G

Point28 att · 0 G

Neutral zone8 att · 0 G

Los Angeles Kings

176 att · 81 on goal · 10 G · 12.3%

Crease10 att · 2 G

Slot69 att · 5 G

Wing59 att · 3 G

Point35 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.

ChicagoLos Angeles

2.41xG for per game2.88

3.83xG against per game2.43

38.7%xG share54.2%

−0.7FinishingGoals minus expected goals+0.4

−1.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−7.7

This season: 4 games for Chicago, 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

Chicago

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2711.1%

Power play · 2025-2616.9% · 29th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2763.6%

Penalty kill · 2025-2683.6% · 2nd

Faceoffs · 2026-2742.1% · 99/235

Drawn · 2026-279 (2.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/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.

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 →

Chicago

Expected starter after their game on 11 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Los Angeles

Expected starter after their game on 11 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Chicago crease

CHI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 10 Feb

Spencer Knight.8913 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.5

Arvid Soderblom.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.0

No appearances against Los Angeles in the last meetings.

Los Angeles crease

LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 10 Feb

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

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

No appearances against Chicago 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 Dec 20256 · CHI 0–6 LAK

4 Dec 20253 · CHI 2–1 LAK

26 Oct 20254 · LAK 3–1 CHI

20 Mar 20254 · LAK 3–1 CHI

3 Mar 20256 · LAK 1–5 CHI

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Chicago2.254.252.603.35

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 suggest6.1Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings4.6Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

6 on the injury lists

Chicago · injuries

Andrew MangiapaneLower BodyOutReturn25 Oct

Connor BedardShoulderIRReturn7 Nov

Teuvo TeravainenUndisclosedOutReturn10 Oct

Los Angeles · injuries

Jakub DvorakUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct

Jan JenikUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct

Kevin FialaLower LegIRReturn17 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

3 Oct · CHI

Assigned D Charles Alexis Legault to Chicago (AHL).

24 Sep · CHI

Agreed to terms with F Oliver Moore on a five-year contract extension. Loaned Fs Jiri felcman, Martin Misiak and Marek Vanacker and D Dylan Anhorn to Rockford (AHL). Assigned F Brett Seney to Rockford.

21 Sep · CHI

Placed D Derrick Pouliot 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

Chicago · 2026 draft

See all: Chicago · 2026 draft →

#34Xavier VilleneuveRound 2 · Blainville-boisbriandD

#35Ryan RoobroeckRound 2 · NiagaraLW

#66Samu AlalauriRound 3 · Pelicans Jr.D

#194Alexander IvanovRound 7 · Bars KazanD

Full draft

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

Saturday 13 February · the full slate

See all: Saturday 13 February · the full slate →

LAKThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

Chicago Blackhawks at Los Angeles Kings: game preview

Eighteen points apart last season

Meeting number 237

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Los Angeles out-attempted Chicago 176 to 157

Chicago Blackhawks

Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Chicago

Los Angeles

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Chicago crease

Los Angeles crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

6 on the injury lists

Chicago · injuries

Los Angeles · injuries

Latest moves

Chicago · 2026 draft

Los Angeles · 2026 draft

Saturday 13 February · the full slate