The Los Angeles Kings rang in 2026 with a four-game homestand that began on New Year’s Day against the Tampa Bay Lightning, followed by games against the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 3 and 5, and concluded on Jan. 7 against the San Jose Sharks.
Los Angeles Kings get mixed results out of the gates for 2026 in the New Year
New Year’s Day did not begin well for the Kings when Lightning forward Brayden Point scored a power-play goal three minutes and thirty-four seconds into the first period. However, five minutes later, Jeff Malott tied things up for the Kings, evening the score at one-all.
About two minutes later. Following the Malott goal, Andrei Kuzmenko scored on the power play, giving the Kings a 2-1 lead. The second period continued tied until Point scored his second goal of the night and tied the score near the end of the period.
The third period began with Kevin Fiala scoring his 14th goal of the season on the power play, and the Kings got up by one. With less than three minutes left in the same period, Anthony Cirelli scored to make the score three-all. Then, with under two minutes left in the game, Gage Goncalves made the score 4-3, followed by an empty-net goal by Nikita Kucherov to seal a 5-3 victory for the Lightning. The Kings would hopefully earn their first win of 2026 against Minnesota.
The homestand continued on Jan. 3 for the first of two games against the Minnesota Wild, less than 48 hours apart. The Kings got on the board first when Adrian Kempe shot a one-timer. Later in the same period, Jake Middleton scored for the Wild and tied the game at one-all. The second period was tied until Corey Perry scored on the power play, giving the Kings a 2-1 lead.
The Kings' power play is finally heating up! However, the Wild tied it later in the same period, making the score two-all. The third period was tied until Kings forward Quinton Byfield got credited for an own goal by the Wild and gave the Kings a 3-2 lead. The Wild tied the game when defenseman Brock Faber scored an even-strength goal.
With seven minutes left, Kings forward Samuel Helenius got his first goal of the season and gave the Kings a 4-3 lead. Near the end of the period, Matt Boldy tied things up for the Wild again on a deflection off a shot by Faber. The game went into overtime, but no goals were scored. The Kings eventually won 5-4 in the shootout with Brandt Clarke scoring the game-winning goal.
The penultimate game of the homestand continued on Jan. 5 with another game against the Wild. There were no goals in the first period, but both teams had good chances. The scoring opened up in the second period when Kings forward Warren Foegele scored his sixth goal of the season. Near the end of the same period, Kevin Fiala scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season and gave the Kings a 2-0 lead. The Kings held their two-goal lead in the third period until Wild defenseman and captain Jared Spurgeon got his team on the board and made the score 2-1.
A few minutes later, Andrei Kuzmenko scored, giving the Kings a two-goal lead again. The goal by Kuzmenko was his sixth goal in the last 12 games. Late in the same period, Wild forward Ryan Hartman got his team within one again with less than five minutes left. The game was sealed for the Kings when Adrian Kempe scored his 15th goal of the season, an empty-netter, tying him with Kevin Fiala for the team lead. The goal gave the Kings a much-needed 4-2 home victory.
The Kings concluded their homestand on Jan. 7, facing their in-state rivals, the San Jose Sharks. The first period started off in the same way as the game on Jan. 5, with no score for either team. Four minutes into the second period, Sharks forward and former King Tyler Toffoli scored on the power play. Later in the same period, the Kings got on the board when forward Alex Turcotte scored his third goal of the season, ending the period at one-all.
The third period began with Adam Gaudette giving the Sharks a 2–1 lead on another power play goal. A few minutes later, the Kings tied the game again with Kevin Fiala scoring his team-leading 16th goal of the season.
Later in the same period, the Kings thought they gained a 3-2 lead when defenseman Joel Edmundson scored a go-ahead goal, but it was disallowed due to him pushing the puck in the net with his glove, keeping the score at two-all. Later in the same period, Alex Laferriere scored his 11th goal of the season in his 200th NHL game, giving the Kings a 3-2 lead.
However, with only a minute left in the game, Macklin Celebrini scored, ending the game at three-all. Unfortunately, for the Kings, William Eklund of the Sharks scored in overtime, giving them a 4-3 win. The homestand netted the Kings a much-needed five points with a 2-1-1 record.
The Kings will hit the road to Western Canada on Jan. 9 in Winnipeg to face the Jets and then on Jan. 10 in Edmonton against the Oilers. Then have two games at home against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 12, and the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 14.