Home ice is finally here. The Kings home opener is Tuesday, October 6, at 7 p.m. PT at Crypto.com Arena against the Florida Panthers, with ESPN on the national call. Los Angeles is 0-1-1 after an 8-4 loss at Colorado and a 5-4 overtime loss at San Jose. Florida arrives at 1-0-2 after opening with an overtime win over Carolina, a regulation loss at San Jose and a 3-2 overtime loss at Anaheim on Sunday. As of Monday morning, there was no new public practice report from El Segundo, so the lineup and goaltending notes below stay tied to what is confirmed.
This preview covers the lessons from the 0-1-1 start, the 60th-anniversary festivities the Kings have already announced, how to talk about the goalie without guessing, and what Florida brings on the back end of a West Coast trip.
Kings Home Opener: Lessons From 0-1-1
Wednesday in Denver was a special-teams nightmare. The Kings allowed four power-play goals in the 8-4 loss, went 0-for-5 on the man advantage and took too many minors against a Colorado group that did not need the help. Friday’s practice answered with what Peter Laviolette called an “extensive” video session and a longer, more competitive skate focused on the penalty kill, discipline and rush defense. Cody Ceci summed up the 5-on-5 piece: “We gave up a little too much off the rush, just outnumbered in a few situations.”
Saturday in San Jose showed progress and the same unfinished business. The Kings scored twice on the power play — Adrian Kempe from Artemi Panarin in the first, Quinton Byfield from Mats Zuccarello late in the second — and forced overtime when Panarin tied it 4-4 with five minutes left in regulation. They still surrendered a power-play goal to Tyler Toffoli early in the second, and Igor Chernyshov beat them twice, including the 3-on-3 overtime winner off a Macklin Celebrini feed. Full details are in our Sharks recap.
The ledger after two games is simple. Even-strength play has created enough offense to stay in games. Special teams and puck management under pressure have decided the results. Tuesday is the first chance to fix both with last change and a full building behind them.
Opening-Night Festivities: 60th Anniversary Launch
The Kings announced the home-opener plan on October 2. It is the first of 42 regular-season home dates and the formal start of the franchise’s 60th-anniversary celebration.
- Opening Night Fan Festival presented by American Express: free event at L.A. LIVE beginning at 3:30 p.m. PT, with live entertainment, interactive games, food and beverage, merchandise, Ice Crew and Bailey.
- Doors and giveaway: doors at 5:30 p.m. PT; every fan in attendance receives a retro goalie mask that nods to Rogie Vachon and Terry Sawchuk eras with the modern color palette.
- Team introductions: the Royal Army supporters’ group debuts a new signature moment with the game-presentation department. The “First Look” series starts with System of a Down’s “Toxicity.”
- Anthem: Matt Sallee and Kevin Olusola of Pentatonix perform a duo version of the U.S. national anthem at center ice.
- First intermission: L.A. band Rooney plays the Entertainment Stage on the Upper Concourse Terrace.
- Hall of Fame display: unveiled at 6:00 p.m. on the main concourse near the Team LA Store, with artifacts, plaques and an interactive photo set.
That is a lot of ceremony. The hockey still has to match it.
Lineup and Goalie: What Is Confirmed
Laviolette dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen in San Jose, which put Corey Perry and Erik Gustafsson into the lineup for their season debuts while Samuel Helenius and Andre Lee sat. The projected alignment that night, per LA Kings Insider, was Panarin–Byfield–Kempe, Zuccarello–Turcotte–Laferriere, Moore–Haula–Laughton and Armia–Perry up front, with Dumoulin–Doughty, Edmundson–Clarke, Anderson–Ceci and Gustafsson on the blue line. Whether Tuesday stays at 11/7 has not been announced. Mikey Anderson and Adrian Kempe are wearing the alternate captain letters through the first five games, which includes Tuesday.
On goaltending, stick to what has happened and what has been projected with a source. Darcy Kuemper started the opener in Colorado. Anton Forsberg started Saturday in San Jose and stopped the puck in a 5-4 overtime loss. As of Monday morning, Laviolette had not named Tuesday’s starter in a public availability. Edgehalla’s projection model listed Kuemper as the probable starter (about 78 percent) for the home opener, with Forsberg as the alternate. Treat that as a projection only. Do not write that Kuemper or Forsberg is confirmed until the morning skate or the team says so.
Scouting the Florida Panthers
Florida is 1-0-2 and has gone past regulation in all three games. Brad Marchand made his season debut Sunday in Anaheim after August surgery, scored the game-tying goal with Markstrom pulled for an extra attacker and played 13:10 on a line with Sam Reinhart and Brady Tkachuk. Captain Aleksander Barkov is on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Jacob Markstrom started in Anaheim (18 saves). Edgehalla projects Markstrom again for Tuesday.
Paul Maurice liked Florida’s 5-on-5 play through three games and wants more from the special teams. Anton Lundell said the Panthers are comfortable in tight games after living in them to open the year. For the Kings, that means a veteran, structured opponent that can punish mistakes on the penalty kill and that just got a boost from Marchand’s return. Trevor Moore, Joel Armia and the PK group will be under the same microscope they were after Denver.
Florida closes its season-opening road trip in Los Angeles. The Kings have two days of rest after San Jose; the Panthers played Sunday night in Anaheim. That rest edge is real even if the standings look similar.
Watch: Highlights From San Jose
The Kings’ official channel posted the condensed look at the overtime loss that left them at 0-1-1:
Keys for Tuesday Night
- Stay out of the box. Colorado did not need four power-play chances. Florida’s top unit with Tkachuk, Reinhart and company will make the same point.
- Keep the power-play motion. Two PP goals in San Jose were the first real answer after the 0-for-5 in Denver. Byfield’s call for more movement still applies.
- Defend the rush and the slot. Ceci’s Friday message has to show up against a Panthers group that has lived in overtime.
- Use last change. Home ice is the first chance for Laviolette to dictate matchups after two road games.
Puck drop is 7 p.m. PT on ESPN. Follow InfanityTV for the morning-skate goalie confirmation and the full home-opener recap once the final horn sounds.
