‹MON OCT 26›
3 games
Early look The full preview opens on Friday 23 October, 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

Los Angeles Kings at New York Rangers: game preview

Puck drop26 Oct · 7:00 PM ET
VenueMadison Square Garden
All-time meetings161 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Thirteen points apart last season

Los Angeles finished last season 20th in the league on 90 points. NY Rangers finished 30th on 77.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 162

Across 161 completed games, NY Rangers lead the head-to-head 91-62-8.

All-time record91-62-8NY Rangers's record in the series
Meetings played161This is number 162
2025-26 series—
Last 55-0Los Angeles
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
16 Mar 2026LAK 4 – NYR 1——LAK
20 Jan 2026NYR 3 – LAK 4——LAK
25 Mar 2025NYR 1 – LAK 3——LAK
14 Dec 2024LAK 5 – NYR 1——LAK
20 Jan 2024NYR 1 – LAK 2——LAK
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateLos AngelesNY Rangers
20 Jan 202620-16-13 · 53 pts23rd21-24-6 · 48 pts27th
16 Mar 202628-24-15 · 71 pts21st28-31-8 · 64 pts29th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 20 Jan 2026, Los Angeles were 23rd in the league and NY Rangers 27th. By 16 Mar 2026 it was 21st and 29th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Los Angeles out-attempted NY Rangers 124 to 115

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

Los Angeles Kings

124 att · 53 on goal · 8 G · 15.1%
Crease10 att · 2 G
Slot53 att · 3 G
Wing41 att · 2 G
Point15 att · 1 G
Neutral zone5 att · 0 G

New York Rangers

115 att · 58 on goal · 4 G · 6.9%
Crease10 att · 0 G
Slot42 att · 3 G
Wing36 att · 1 G
Point22 att · 0 G
Neutral zone5 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.

Los AngelesNY Rangers
2.88xG for per game3.44
2.43xG against per game2.77
54.2%xG share55.4%
+0.4FinishingGoals minus expected goals−1.2
−7.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+5.8

This season: 3 games for Los Angeles, 5 for NY Rangers. 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

NY Rangers

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2624.7% · 5th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2787.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.9% · 15th
Faceoffs · 2026-2752.2% · 151/289
Drawn · 2026-2714 (2.80/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (3.20/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
10Artemi Panarin32131.00
56Erik Haula31231.00
14Alex Laferriere31231.00
93Mika Zibanejad51451.00
94Gabe Perreault52240.80
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
92Brandt Clarke30220.67
8Drew Doughty30110.33
23Adam Fox50551.00
5Sean Durzi51120.40
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 24 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 24 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Los Angeles crease

LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 23 Oct

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

No appearances against NY Rangers in the last meetings.

NY Rangers crease

NYR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 23 Oct

Igor Shesterkin.9264 GP · 3-1-0 · GSAx +4.6
Dylan Garand1.0001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.4

No appearances against Los Angeles in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 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

16 Mar 20265 · LAK 4–1 NYR
20 Jan 20267 · NYR 3–4 LAK
25 Mar 20254 · NYR 1–3 LAK
14 Dec 20246 · LAK 5–1 NYR
20 Jan 20243 · NYR 1–2 LAK

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
NY Rangers3.201.602.903.05

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 suggest5.9Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

Los Angeles · injuries

Jakub DvorakUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Jan JenikUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct
Kevin FialaLower LegIRReturn17 Oct

NY Rangers · injuries

Adam SykoraLower BodyIRReturn25 Jan
Aidan ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct
Joe VelenoLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct
Joonas KorpisaloLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct
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.

6 Oct · NYR

Recalled C Gabriel Beaudoin from Hartford (AHL). Placed C Joe Veleno on injured reserve.

5 Oct · NYR

Placed D Matthew Robertson on waivers.

1 Oct · NYR

Placed G Joonas Korpisalo on injured reserve. Recalled G Dylan Garand from Hartford (AHL).

Injury report
#19Elton HermanssonRound 1 · ModoRW
#46Liam LefebvreRound 2 · ChicoutimiC
#49Adam GoljerRound 2 · TrencinD
#80Blake ZielinskiRound 3 · Des MoinesC
Full draft
#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD
#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD
#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG
#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD
Full draft

Updated after every final