The first 84-game regular season schedule in over three decades was announced for the Los Angeles Kings for 2026-27 on Thursday.
Every team's complete schedule for the upcoming 2026-27 regular season in the NHL was announced late this week on Thursday morning (July 16). The last time that NHL teams played over 82 games in a regular season was in the 1993-94 season.
Full schedule just dropped 🗓️
— LA Kings (@LAKings) July 16, 2026
We can't wait to see you! 📲 https://t.co/mVyu0PsuSk@VividSeats pic.twitter.com/4CwRhgMzpK
Here are three takeaways from the Kings' schedule reveal for the upcoming 2026-27 regular season late this week.
Quality opponents will test the Kings right away
The Kings open up the regular season with a difficult matchup on national television on TNT on Sep. 30 on the road vs. the defending Presidents Trophy winners Colorado Avalanche. LA and Colorado play in the second of two games on the first night of live nationally televised games on TNT on Sep. 30, with the first coming between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference.
After the opener, the Kings have some big tests that remain, including Pacific Division matchups in early October on the road vs. the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights. And the Kings also have a big test in the regular season home opener on Oct. 6 against the Florida Panthers.
Opening the regular season against two real Stanley Cup contenders will show right away how Laviolette and the Kings are ready to stand up against a tough early-season schedule.
Divisional games remain decisive
Since the NHL regular season schedule has expanded to 84 games, one of the major changes is that the Kings will now face all division rivals four times instead of facing two of them three times and the rest of them four.
With two more divisional games on the schedule, the Kings' success in the Pacific Division carries even more weight than in prior seasons. The extra head-to-head matchups could be crucial to determining playoff seeding and/or home-ice advantage in the Pacific Division race.
Difficult road stretch could define the season around the All-Star break
One of the longest road trips the Kings will embark upon this upcoming regular season is a nearly three-week-long stretch out East between Jan. 23 and Feb. 9. A big factor as to why this road trip will be so long is because the All-Star Break is sandwiched in the middle of this stretch in early February.
In this road trip in late January and early February, the Kings have to face some daunting tasks, including battling the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, Panthers, and defending Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes away from the friendly confines of Crypto Arena.
When the playoff race is really heating up and the Kings are battling for positioning in the Pacific Division standings, they'll need to get as many points as possible from this difficult road trip.
It won't be the schedule alone that determines how successful the Kings will be this upcoming regular season in Laviolette's first year behind the bench. But it does give fans an early glimpse at where the Kings' biggest challenges and opportunities for success will come during the first-ever 84-game campaign.
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