Kings open season in Denver against Avalanche

The Los Angeles Kings will open their 2026-27 campaign on Wednesday night in Denver, playing the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Both teams come off preseason games, with the Kings having just defeated Anaheim 6-2.

Goalie Darcy Kuemper, who started the preseason finale, is expected to start for the Kings, marking his second consecutive season opening night against Colorado. The projected forward line features Artemi Panarin, Alex Byfield and Adrian Kempe, while the defense includes Mattias Ekholm, Noah Hanifin and Jacob Trouba. Defenseman Joel Edmundson, listed as day-to-day, is slated to play, and forward Corey Perry was a late scratch.

Colorado entered its final practice with a 11-7 lineup; forwards Logan O’Connor and Zachary L’Heureux were placed on injured reserve. The Avalanche retain core players such as Nathan MacKinnon, who posted 50 goals and 100 points last season, and defenseman Cale Makar, one of three blueliners with at least 20 goals and 75 points.

"When you get swept, it’s a little bit embarrassing and you want to come back and get the season off to a strong start," forward Trevor Moore said.

"I always think it’s important to do what we need to do in order to be successful, but you do want the information on their d-zone coverage, you do want the information on their breakouts…," head coach Peter Laviolette added.

The Kings aim to improve on a winless 0-7 record against Colorado from the previous season, while also focusing on their power play against a penalty kill that was the league’s best last year. The game will be nationally televised on TNT, with the Kings’ next home game scheduled for next week on ESPN.