With the release of the 2025-26 LA Kings Schedule came instant scanning for key games. The schedule release is always a fun time of the season when you get a chance to see when the Kings will be at home versus on the road and most importantly, the games that are perhaps the most exciting to attend in person.
A look below at seven opponents that might be of interest, as selected by someone else but written by me!
Colorado Avalanche
Let's start with, well, the start! The Kings will be the third game on the NHL's league calendar in October, as a part of a tripleheader on ESPN on Opening Night on October 7. With that, the Colorado Avalanche will be in town as the two teams square off in the season opener for the second time in three seasons on home ice.
Colorado brings arguably the NHL's best center/defenseman combination in Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar and those two players always present a difficult challenge. The Kings skated to a late-season victory over Colorado in April of 2025, though it came without those two players on the ice. Should be a fun one to begin the season as two playoff teams from 2025 begin their respective seasons in Downtown Los Angeles.
Detroit Red Wings
Welcome Back, Todd McLellan!
McLellan, who coached the Kings from 2019 - 24, will return behind the visiting bench for the first time since he coached in Los Angeles. McLellan was hired as a midseason replacement in Detroit and while he improved the fortunes of his new club almost immediately, the early success was ultimately not enough to qualify for the postseason. With a full season at the helm, along with former Kings assistant coach Trent Yawney, McLellan and the Red Wings will come to Los Angeles for an early-season matchup on October 30. Joining him will be Patrick Kane, Dylan Larkin and a host of others, as Detroit aims to get back to the postseason for the first time in a while.
Boston Bruins
Something, Something, Original Six.
Return Of Tanner Jeannot?
David Pastrnak is really fun to watch?
Not exactly sure why this game is on here, specifically, but the Bruins and Kings seem to meet in some very exciting games. Most of those games have come in Boston, actually, but the Kings dropped seven goals when these teams met in March at Crypto.com Arena and it'll be a sweet-looking uniform matchup, with Boston keeping their 100-year anniversary look in place. On the Friday night before Thanksgiving, I suppose there are plenty of reasons this was a Marquee Matchup after all.
Washington Capitals
This matchup in 2024-25 was pretty noteworthy for one reason or another......800......
This coming season, it could be the last opportunity to watch Alex Ovechkin in Los Angeles. After he became the NHL's All-time leading goalscorer last season, Ovechkin is confirmed to be back and is in pursuit of becoming the first player in league history to score 900 goals. Ovechkin is worth the price of admission alone. With 2023-24 Kings Matt Roy and Pierre-Luc Dubois in the fold as well, Kings/Capitals carries a bit extra weight than your usual matchup between teams from opposite conferences.
An easy one to come to, though, with Ovechkin potentially on his final tour around the NHL.
Anaheim Ducks
The Freeway Faceoff will be played four times in total this season, including games in Los Angeles on December 27 and January 16. These are both in pretty cool spots on the calendar. The first game will be the first Kings game coming out of the NHL's Holiday Break and coming on December 27, it's a great one for those in town for the holidays to attend. The game on January 16 is a part of a back-to-back with the Ducks, with the teams playing both at Crypto.com Arena and in Orange County.
The Kings/Ducks games always carry a bit extra, even when the Kings have been a postseason qualifier and Anaheim has been rebuilding. The Ducks have added some veteran players over the summer and should be a sterner challenge than ever before. Though, with noted Ducks killer Adrian Kempe still in the fold, you always like your chances when he's on your side.
Edmonton Oilers
Okay, this is an easy one.
The Kings will host Edmonton on February 26 and April 11 at Crypto.com Arena in a rematch of - checks notes - the 2025, 2024, 2023 and 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Oilers coming to town is always, naturally, a four-point game. With both matchups coming after the break for the 2026 Winter Olympics, though, the emphasis on those matchups is that much greater. The game on April 11 could be especially important as it comes to potential playoff seeding, home-ice advantage and maybe, you know, playing someone else in the first round of the playoffs. Time will tell. For now, though, it's two important games within the Pacific Division as Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and 18 other dudes come to Los Angeles for a pair of games versus the Kings.
