The Los Angeles Kings’ 2026-27 regular season is picking up right where their 2026 playoff run left off.
After their postseason ended with a sweep at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, the Kings travel to Denver to open a new campaign tomorrow.
“I remember that series pretty well,” Kings defenseman Brian Dumoulin said. “They have a lot of the same players, too, so we should feel confident knowing their game plan.”
While the first two games of that series were close, the final two were less so, and the Kings in total were outscored 13-5 over the course of the series.
After winning the Presidents’ Trophy last season, the Avalanche return the vast majority of the core players from that team, including stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, and expect to be Stanley Cup contenders once again. They have also had the same head coach in Jared Bednar since 2016, providing a certain amount of familiarity for a Kings team that is adjusting to a different system under new head coach Peter Laviolette.
“There are some pre-scouts that we can pull from preseason, but mixed lineups and not having everybody the same as they were that might start the season in a lineup, it’s always a little bit different,” Laviolette said. “But I do think that when you’ve gotten a coach that’s down a road with the identity of a team, you can pull from last year’s playoffs and this year’s preseason games and come up with where you think that they might be. Certainly enough to feed your team some information.”
The players admitted that the playoff loss provides extra motivation for tomorrow’s game, but also stressed the importance of not letting any single contest become too big.
“You get swept by a team, and [it’s] still pretty fresh in your mind, I think you want to get off to a good start,” center Scott Laughton said. “Go play a simple road game against a really good hockey team, and I believe we’re a really good hockey team too, so it’s going to be fun to get in the action right away and get going here.”
“It’s just winning puck battles and handling momentum, handling your own emotions,” Dumoulin added. “Both teams are going to be ready to go. So, it’s going to be a fun game to play in, and [it’s about] being able to stay poised and confident and handle the swings of the game.”
While the Kings are still figuring out a new roster and new scheme, Laviolette is focused on winning games more than using the early part of the season to evaluate his team. This philosophy may be especially relevant for the Kings, who got off to a slow start last season and barely snuck into the playoffs late in the year thanks to a last-minute push.
“I think it’s always about the win and always about points,” Laviolette said. “I think there’s games that you leave where you think maybe your team did the right things, and that’s something early on that you can grab hold of and gain confidence with. But for me, it’s always about the points. I mean, I don’t want to get on a plane and go out there and play well. I don’t think anybody does. You want to go out there and you want to win. You want to play well while doing it, but ultimately you want to win.”
With a new head coach and a new captain, the Kings are pivoting to something of a new era, albeit one that is retooled rather than entirely overhauled. They closed the preseason by winning their final two exhibition games, and now face their first true test against the Avalanche.
“I thought this week of practice was really good for us,” Laughton said. “High energy, high compete, and guys are excited to get going here. So it’s the best time of year. You start the real thing and kind of wait all summer. You’re waiting around to get going, and this is the week you want to be a part of it. So it’s been awesome.”