Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Puck drop: 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT)
TV: ESPN (national), SN+ (Canada)
Florida wraps up a four-game season-opening road trip, while the Kings host their home opener seeking their first win of the year.
Projected Lineups / Current Rosters
Florida Panthers (projected; Jacob Markstrom expected to start):
Forwards: Brady Tkachuk – Sam Reinhart – Brad Marchand; Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk; Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sandis Vilmanis; Bokondji Imama – Lars Eller – Garnet Hathaway
Defense: Gustav Forsling – Dmitry Kulikov; Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones; Uvis Balinskis – Radko Gudas
Goalies: Jacob Markstrom (starter), Akira Schmid
Los Angeles Kings (projected; Darcy Kuemper expected to start):
Forwards: Artemi Panarin – Quinton Byfield – Adrian Kempe; Alex Laferriere – Alex Turcotte – Mats Zuccarello; Trevor Moore – Erik Haula – Joel Armia; Scott Laughton – Corey Perry
Defense: Brian Dumoulin – Drew Doughty; Joel Edmundson – Brandt Clarke; Mikey Anderson – Cody Ceci
Goalies: Darcy Kuemper (starter), Anton Forsberg
Injury Reports
Panthers: Aleksander Barkov (C, knee, LTIR, expected out until at least late October); Aaron Ekblad (D, personal, day-to-day; status uncertain for this game); Jonah Gadjovich (LW, upper body, IR); MacKenzie Entwistle (RW, undisclosed, IR). Brad Marchand has returned from earlier lower-body issues.
Kings: Kevin Fiala (LW, leg, IR, expected mid-to-late October); other depth players (e.g., Otto Salin, Jakub Dvorak, Jan Jenik) on IR but not core impact.
Recent Team Forms
Panthers: Opened with a 1-0 OT road win at Carolina (Gustav Forsling OT winner), then OT losses at San Jose (4-3) and Anaheim (3-2). Undefeated in regulation (1-0-2). Strong defensive structure early but offense limited without Barkov. Jacob Markstrom has been solid (1-0-1, ~1.40 GAA in limited action).
Kings: Opened with an 8-4 loss at Colorado, then a 5-4 OT loss at San Jose. High-event and leaky defensively so far (6.50 GA/GP). Top line of Panarin-Byfield-Kempe has produced; power play active early. Seeking first win and better structure in the home opener.
Series History
Florida has won the last several meetings, including both in 2025-26 (5-2 on the road in LA and 3-2 at home). Overall recent head-to-head favors the Panthers in many tallies (roughly 6-4 in the last 10). Games have often been low-to-mid scoring. No current-season meetings.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Brady Tkachuk / Sam Reinhart / Brad Marchand top line (filling Barkov void) vs. Artemi Panarin / Quinton Byfield / Adrian Kempe: Physical Florida forwards against LA’s skilled top unit.
Matthew Tkachuk / Sam Bennett / Carter Verhaeghe vs. secondary Kings lines (Zuccarello, Haula, etc.): Secondary scoring and two-way battle.
Seth Jones / Niko Mikkola and Gustav Forsling vs. Drew Doughty / Brian Dumoulin and Brandt Clarke: Strong defensive cores; Doughty remains a veteran anchor.
Goaltending: Jacob Markstrom vs. Darcy Kuemper — both experienced, with Markstrom showing early form.
Special teams: Kings’ early PP success vs. Panthers’ structure and PK.
Betting Trends
Florida is the more structured team and has dominated recent H2H, but is missing Barkov and dealing with early OT losses on the road. LA has home-opener energy but has been porous defensively.
Game Odds
Florida Panthers – 120
Los Angeles Kings 5.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Monday, October 5, 2026
