Early look · NHL 2026-27

Los Angeles Kings at Carolina Hurricanes: game preview

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

CarolinaHurricanes2026-27: 2-1-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 53-22-7 · 113 pts · 2nd

Puck drop30 Jan · 7:00 PM ET

VenueLenovo Center

All-time meetings43 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Twenty-three points apart last season

Los Angeles finished last season 20th in the league on 90 points. Carolina finished 2nd on 113.

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

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

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

DateLos AngelesCarolina

18 Oct 20251-3-2 · 4 pts30th5-0-0 · 10 pts2nd

1 Feb 202621-16-13 · 55 pts22nd32-15-5 · 69 pts3rd

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

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.

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

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

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Los Angeles and Carolina 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.

Los AngelesCarolina

2.88xG for per game3.74

2.43xG against per game2.21

54.2%xG share62.9%

+0.4FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.0

−7.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−3.2

This season: 3 games for Los Angeles, 4 for Carolina. 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

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

Skaters

Skaters to watch

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

Forwards to watch

See all: Forwards to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

10Artemi Panarin32131.00

56Erik Haula31231.00

14Alex Laferriere31231.00

20Sebastian Aho44371.75

37Andrei Svechnikov41341.00

53Jackson Blake40330.75

Points leaders

Defencemen to watch

See all: Defencemen to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

92Brandt Clarke30220.67

2Brian Dumoulin31010.33

8Drew Doughty30110.33

4Shayne Gostisbehere41120.50

74Jaccob Slavin40220.50

5Jalen Chatfield40110.25

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 →

Los Angeles

Expected starter after their game on 28 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Carolina

Expected starter after their game on 28 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Los Angeles crease

LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Jan

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.

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Jan

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.

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

Los Angeles3.005.002.743.01

Carolina2.753.003.612.93

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

Los Angeles · injuries

Jakub DvorakUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct

Jan JenikUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct

Kevin FialaLower LegIRReturn17 Oct

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 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.

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.

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

Carolina · 2026 draft

See all: Carolina · 2026 draft →

#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD

#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC

#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW

#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW

Full draft

Saturday 30 January · the full slate

See all: Saturday 30 January · the full slate →

CARThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final