One practice. That is all the time the Kings get between an 8-4 loss in Denver and their next game. After a scheduled day off Thursday, the Kings return to the ice Friday at 11 a.m. at Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo, then fly north for Kings vs Sharks on Saturday, October 3, at SAP Center in San Jose. Peter Laviolette’s to-do list is clear: stay out of the penalty box, close the middle of the ice on the penalty kill and stop giving up so much off the rush.
Here is what the Kings need to fix, what they want to keep, the lineup questions for Friday’s practice and a scouting report on a Sharks team coming off an overtime win.
Kings vs Sharks: Laviolette’s Fix-It List
Laviolette did not treat Wednesday as a game to forget. Asked whether it was a “burn the tape” night or a chance to teach, he picked the second option. “This will be big for learning, a lot of teaching going on,” he said. “There are definitely things that we can clean up.”
He named the areas right after the game. “Things that we need to clean up from staying out of the penalty box, specialty teams, 5-on-5 play,” he said. “We can’t give them that much off the rush, it’s going to catch you if you do.” On the penalty kill, he was specific: “I think we left the middle open a little bit too much at times, the middle of the ice.”
Erik Haula refused to use the new system as an excuse. “We have a pretty good idea how we’re supposed to play,” he said. “When you give up eight, it’s just not good enough.” For the full game story, see our recap of the opener.
The Penalty Kill and Discipline Problem
Special teams decided Wednesday. Colorado went 4-for-5 on the power play, and a fifth goal, Parker Kelly’s, came three seconds after a Kings power play ended. The Kings went 0-for-4 with the man advantage. Two shorthanded goals helped, but as LA Kings Insider’s Zach Dooley noted, the Kings still lost the special-teams battle.
That is the part that has to change fastest. According to LA Kings Insider, the Kings finished in the bottom five on both the power play and the penalty kill last season, and special teams were a major focus this summer and in camp. The penalty kill ran at 87.5 percent in the preseason, so the Kings believe the structure works. The fixes Laviolette described are about details: tighter coverage in the slot, fewer chances off rebounds and bounces, and simply taking fewer penalties so the kill is not on the ice as often.
Discipline also means managing momentum. Dooley pointed out that every time the Kings cut the deficit, Colorado scored the next goal, and three of those four answers came within three minutes. Against a Sharks team that leans on young speed and skill, giving up quick responses could be just as costly.
What the Kings Want to Keep
There were real positives, and they point to what Laviolette is building. The Kings forechecked aggressively, forced turnovers and controlled long stretches at 5-on-5. According to LA Kings Insider, it was the first time since February 21, 2017, that the Kings had more 5-on-5 shot attempts than Colorado at Ball Arena. They outshot the Avalanche 31-29, Quinton Byfield hit a post, and Trevor Moore, Joel Armia and Alex Turcotte each had a breakaway stopped in the first 40 minutes.
The top line of Artemi Panarin, Byfield and Adrian Kempe ranked first, second and third on the team in shot attempts, per Dooley, but produced only Panarin’s 6-on-5 goal. The Kings also won 37 of 58 faceoffs. If the chances keep coming, the finishing should follow.
Lineup Watch for Friday’s Practice
Friday’s practice will show whether Laviolette makes changes. The Kings dressed these lines in the opener, per LA Kings Insider:
- Panarin – Byfield – Kempe
- Zuccarello – Turcotte – Laferriere
- Moore – Laughton – Haula
- Lee – Helenius – Armia
- Dumoulin – Doughty, Edmundson – Clarke, Anderson – Ceci
- Darcy Kuemper started; Anton Forsberg backed up
Erik Gustafsson, who skated in practice before the opener, did not dress, and Corey Perry, who had been away from the team for personal reasons before the trip, did not play. Kuemper stopped 21 of 29 shots in Denver, and the Kings have not said who will start in San Jose. All three are worth watching Friday. Captain Drew Doughty, who picked up an assist in his first game wearing the “C,” was the focus of our captaincy story.
Scouting the Sharks
San Jose opened its season Thursday with a 4-3 overtime win over the Florida Panthers at SAP Center. Will Smith scored twice, including a shorthanded goal, and set up 21-year-old defenseman Luca Cagnoni for the winner at 3:14 of overtime, Cagnoni’s first NHL goal. Macklin Celebrini had three assists, Mason Marchment scored in his Sharks debut after signing a five-year, $33.75 million contract in July, and Yaroslav Askarov made 23 saves. Ivar Stenberg, the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, played 13:35 in his NHL debut.
The Sharks also showed weaknesses the Kings can attack. They blew a 3-0 lead, allowing Florida to tie it with two goals 17 seconds apart in the third period, and they took 22 penalty minutes. “We can’t take that many penalties, but I like the resiliency of our group,” coach Ryan Warsofsky said. Celebrini admitted, “I think we started a little flat there in the third.”
Recent History
The teams split their three meetings last season in close fashion. The Kings won 4-3 in regulation in San Jose on October 28, 2025, then lost 4-3 in a shootout in San Jose on November 20 and 4-3 in overtime at home on January 7. All three games were decided by a single goal, and the Kings went 1-0-2.
Watch: Laviolette, Haula and Anderson After the Opener
Hear the Kings break down what went wrong, and what they plan to fix, in the team’s official postgame media:
Game Info and What’s Next
- Saturday, Oct. 3: Kings at San Jose Sharks, SAP Center, 7 p.m. PT
- Tuesday, Oct. 6: home opener vs. Florida Panthers, Crypto.com Arena, 7 p.m. PT
- Saturday, Oct. 10: at Vegas Golden Knights, T-Mobile Arena, 7 p.m. PT
Saturday is the first test of whether one practice and a day of video can fix the details. If the Kings stay out of the box and keep creating chances, they have a good shot at their first win under Laviolette. Follow InfanityTV for Friday’s practice updates and Saturday’s Kings vs Sharks coverage.
