Early look The full preview opens on Monday 15 March, 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

Carolina Hurricanes at Los Angeles Kings: game preview

Puck drop18 Mar · 10:00 PM ET
VenueCrypto.com Arena
All-time meetings43 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-three points apart last season

Carolina finished last season 2nd in the league on 113 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 44

Across 43 completed games, Carolina lead the head-to-head 23-15-5.

All-time record23-15-5Carolina's record in the series
Meetings played43This is number 44
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Los Angeles
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
1 Feb 2026LAK 2 – CAR 3 OT——CAR
18 Oct 2025CAR 4 – LAK 3 OT——CAR
22 Mar 2025CAR 2 – LAK 7——LAK
1 Feb 2025LAK 4 – CAR 2——LAK
15 Jan 2024LAK 5 – CAR 2——LAK
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateCarolinaLos Angeles
18 Oct 20255-0-0 · 10 pts2nd1-3-2 · 4 pts30th
1 Feb 202632-15-5 · 69 pts3rd21-16-13 · 55 pts22nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 18 Oct 2025, Carolina were 2nd in the league and Los Angeles 30th. By 1 Feb 2026 it was 3rd and 22nd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Carolina out-attempted Los Angeles 154 to 98

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

Carolina Hurricanes

154 att · 74 on goal · 7 G · 9.5%
Crease10 att · 0 G
Slot57 att · 6 G
Wing58 att · 1 G
Point26 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

Los Angeles Kings

98 att · 41 on goal · 5 G · 12.2%
Crease6 att · 1 G
Slot34 att · 3 G
Wing37 att · 1 G
Point18 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Carolina and Los Angeles are level on 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.

CarolinaLos Angeles
3.74xG for per game2.88
2.21xG against per game2.43
62.9%xG share54.2%
−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals+0.4
−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−7.7

This season: 4 games for Carolina, 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

Carolina

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2719.0%
Power play · 2025-2624.9% · 4th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2789.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.5% · 11th
Faceoffs · 2026-2752.1% · 125/240
Drawn · 2026-2721 (5.25/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/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.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
20Sebastian Aho44371.75
53Jackson Blake40330.75
10Artemi Panarin32131.00
56Erik Haula31231.00
14Alex Laferriere31231.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
74Jaccob Slavin40220.50
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 16 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 16 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Mar

Brandon Bussi.8513 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.7
Pyotr Kochetkov.8891 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +0.5

No appearances against Los Angeles in the last meetings.

Los Angeles crease

LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Mar

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

No appearances against Carolina in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 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

1 Feb 20265 · LAK 2–3 CAR
18 Oct 20257 · CAR 4–3 LAK
22 Mar 20259 · CAR 2–7 LAK
1 Feb 20256 · LAK 4–2 CAR
15 Jan 20247 · LAK 5–2 CAR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Carolina2.753.003.612.93
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 suggest6.2Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

5 on the injury lists

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct
Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 Oct

Los Angeles · injuries

Jakub DvorakUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Jan JenikUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct
Kevin FialaLower LegIRReturn17 Oct
30 Sep · CAR

Placed G Cayden Primeau on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed LD Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed D Juuso Valimaki 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
#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD
#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC
#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW
#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW
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