Early look · NHL 2026-27

Vancouver Canucks at Los Angeles Kings: game preview

VancouverCanucks2026-27: 2-2-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 25-49-8 · 58 pts · 32ndat

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

Puck drop12 Dec · 10:00 PM ET

VenueCrypto.com Arena

All-time meetings307 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Thirty-two points apart last season

Vancouver finished last season 32nd in the league on 58 points. Los Angeles finished 20th on 90, and the 2025-26 season series went LAK 3-0-1.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 308

Across 307 completed games, Los Angeles lead the head-to-head 154-125-28.

All-time record154-125-28Los Angeles's record in the series

Meetings played307This is number 308

2025-26 seriesLAK 3-0-1

Last 53-2Los Angeles

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

14 Apr 2026LAK 3 – VAN 4 OT——VAN

9 Apr 2026VAN 1 – LAK 4——LAK

26 Mar 2026LAK 4 – VAN 0——LAK

29 Nov 2025VAN 1 – LAK 2 OT——LAK

26 Feb 2025VAN 3 – LAK 2 OT——VAN

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateVancouverLos Angeles

29 Nov 202510-13-3 · 23 pts30th12-6-7 · 31 pts9th

26 Mar 202621-42-8 · 50 pts32nd29-25-18 · 76 pts22nd

9 Apr 202622-48-8 · 52 pts32nd33-26-19 · 85 pts20th

14 Apr 202625-48-8 · 58 pts32nd35-26-20 · 90 pts20th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 29 Nov 2025, Vancouver were 30th in the league and Los Angeles 9th. By 14 Apr 2026 it was 32nd and 20th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Los Angeles out-attempted Vancouver 228 to 205

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

Vancouver Canucks

205 att · 89 on goal · 6 G · 6.7%

Crease12 att · 2 G

Slot79 att · 2 G

Wing80 att · 2 G

Point25 att · 0 G

Neutral zone9 att · 0 G

Los Angeles Kings

228 att · 121 on goal · 13 G · 10.7%

Crease21 att · 2 G

Slot89 att · 9 G

Wing73 att · 1 G

Point34 att · 0 G

Neutral zone11 att · 1 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.

VancouverLos Angeles

2.44xG for per game2.88

3.15xG against per game2.43

43.6%xG share54.2%

+9.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals+0.4

−5.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−7.7

This season: 4 games for Vancouver, 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

Vancouver

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2723.1%

Power play · 2025-2621.8% · 14th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2768.8%

Penalty kill · 2025-2671.5% · 32nd

Faceoffs · 2026-2749.3% · 112/227

Drawn · 2026-2713 (3.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (4.00/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 →

Vancouver

Expected starter after their game on 10 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Los Angeles

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

Vancouver crease

VAN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 9 Dec

Kevin Lankinen.8243 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx −6.4

Leevi Meriläinen.9432 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against Los Angeles in the last meetings.

Los Angeles crease

LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 9 Dec

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

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

No appearances against Vancouver in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.6 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

14 Apr 20267 · LAK 3–4 VAN

9 Apr 20265 · VAN 1–4 LAK

26 Mar 20264 · LAK 4–0 VAN

29 Nov 20253 · VAN 1–2 LAK

26 Feb 20255 · VAN 3–2 LAK

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

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

Vancouver4.754.502.633.85

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 suggest6.6Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings4.8Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Vancouver · injuries

Akil ThomasUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Filip ChytilShoulderIRReturn8 Oct

Jack ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Mackenzie MacEachernUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Thatcher DemkoHipIRReturn21 Dec

Los Angeles · injuries

Jakub DvorakUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct

Jan JenikUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct

Kevin FialaLower LegIRReturn17 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

27 Sep · VAN

Placed G Nikita Tolopilo on waivers.

25 Sep · VAN

Claimed G Leevi Merilainen off waivers from Ottawa. Placed F Filip Chytil on injured reserve. Assigned F Braeden Cootes to Abbotsford (AHL).

24 Sep · VAN

Assigned Fs Ty Mueller, Riley Patterson, Ilya Safonov and Chase Wouters, Ds Kirill Kudryavtsev and Sawyer Mynio to Abbotsford (AHL). Loaned F Ben Berard and D Isaac Belliveau to Abbotsford. Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford F Trey Fix-Wolansky and Ds Cole Clayton and Jimmy Schuldt.

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

Vancouver · 2026 draft

See all: Vancouver · 2026 draft →

#3Caleb MalhotraRound 1 · BrantfordC

#24Adam NovotnyRound 1 · PeterboroughLW

#33Brooks RogowskiRound 2 · OshawaC

#41Niklas Aaram-OlsenRound 2 · Orebro Jr.LW

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 12 December · the full slate

See all: Saturday 12 December · the full slate →

LAKThis game 10:00 PM ET

NSHat

SEA

Scores

Updated after every final

Vancouver Canucks at Los Angeles Kings: game preview

Thirty-two points apart last season

Meeting number 308

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Los Angeles out-attempted Vancouver 228 to 205

Vancouver Canucks

Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Vancouver

Los Angeles

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Vancouver crease

Los Angeles crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.6 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

8 on the injury lists

Vancouver · injuries

Los Angeles · injuries

Latest moves

Vancouver · 2026 draft

Los Angeles · 2026 draft

Saturday 12 December · the full slate