NHL Game Preview: Ottawa Senators (8-5-0) vs. Los Angeles Kings (3-6-2)

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Puck drop is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV/Streaming: ABTV, ESPN+ (U.S.); TSN5, RDS (Canada)

The Senators, sitting near the top of the Atlantic Division, continue a western road trip after a 4-1 loss in Vegas. The Kings, mired near the bottom of the Pacific with an 0-3-0 home record, open a long homestand looking to snap their home skid after wrapping a road trip with a 1-2 loss in Chicago.

Injury Reports

Ottawa Senators:

Warren Foegele (LW) – Day-to-day, knee (injured in Tuesday’s game vs. Vegas; status for Thursday uncertain).

Thomas Chabot (D) – Day-to-day/out, undisclosed/upper body (nearing return; practiced recently and could be available).

Linus Ullmark (G) – IR, lower body (expected mid-November; out since mid-October).

William Eklund (LW) – IR, ankle (long-term; expected early 2027 after surgery).

Los Angeles Kings:

Corey Perry (RW) – Day-to-day, undisclosed (missed Tuesday).

Drew Doughty (D) – Day-to-day, undisclosed (missed Tuesday).

Mats Zuccarello (RW) – IR, upper body (expected early November).

Alex Turcotte (C) – IR, undisclosed.

Jakub Dvorak (D) – IR non-roster, upper body.

Kevin Fiala (LW) – Out, leg (longer-term recovery).

Jan Jenik – Out, undisclosed.

Morning skates will determine availability for Foegele, Chabot, Perry, and Doughty.

Current Player Rosters / Projected Line Combinations

Senators (coach Travis Green; based on recent usage):
Forwards:
Fabian Zetterlund – Tim Stützle – Claude Giroux
Warren Foegele (if healthy) / others – Dylan Cozens – Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio
Nick Cousins – Stephen Halliday – Andre Burakovsky Defense:
Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub
Tyler Kleven – Jordan Spence
Nikolas Matinpalo – Carter Yakemchuk (Chabot if available) Goaltenders: Jonas Johansson or Samuel Ersson (Ullmark out; Johansson started recently).

Kings (coach Peter Laviolette; recent trends):
Forwards:
Artemi Panarin – Alex Laferriere – Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore – Quinton Byfield – Taylor Ward / Joel Armia
Erik Haula / Scott Laughton – Scott Laughton / Erik Haula – Joel Armia / Taylor Ward
Andre Lee – Samuel Helenius – Corey Perry (if healthy) / Jared Wright Defense:
Erik Gustafsson – Brandt Clarke
Joel Edmundson – Drew Doughty (if healthy)
Mikey Anderson – Brian Dumoulin Goaltenders: Darcy Kuemper (likely) / Anton Forsberg.

Key Player vs. Player Matchups

Tim Stützle / Drake Batherson (OTT) vs. Kings top pair (Gustafsson-Clarke) and Panarin line: Stützle leads Ottawa with strong production (multiple goals and points early); Batherson has been hot in recent games. Containing Stützle’s speed and skill is critical for LA.

Artemi Panarin / Adrian Kempe / Alex Laferriere (LAK) vs. Sanderson-Zub and Ottawa defense: Panarin has been a point producer for the Kings; Kempe and Laferriere provide complementary scoring. Ottawa’s blue line, led by Sanderson, must limit high-danger chances.

Special teams: Kings’ penalty kill ranks near the bottom (~63-64%), a major vulnerability against any Ottawa power-play opportunities. Both power plays have been middling-to-poor early (Senators ~12-13%, Kings ~15%).

Goaltending: Backup tandem for Ottawa (Johansson/Ersson) vs. Kuemper/Forsberg for LA. Volume and quality of chances will decide more than pure numbers given early-season struggles on both sides.

Recent Team Forms

Senators (Last 10: ~6-4-0, current L1): Strong overall start with wins mixed against competitive teams (including a 7-4 victory over the Rangers). Offense is functional (~2.85 GF/GP); defense and goaltending (without Ullmark) have been solid enough (~2.92 GA/GP). Road record sits around 3-3-0.

Kings (Last 10: ~3-5-2, current L1): Inconsistent, with some road success (wins over Rangers, Islanders, Capitals) but an 0-3-0 home mark and defensive issues (~3.36 GA/GP, poor PK). Offense ranks near the bottom (~2.55 GF/GP). Coming off a competitive but losing road trip finale.

Series History

The Kings hold a clear historical edge, roughly 30-16 (or similar across counts) all-time against the Senators, with strong home results in many eras. Recent meetings have been competitive, including high-scoring affairs and overtime games in prior seasons. This is the first matchup of 2026-27.

Betting Trends

Trends favor a tighter, lower-scoring game relative to some NHL averages given both teams’ current offensive ranks and the Kings’ home struggles. Public and sharp money can shift with final injury news (especially Chabot/Doughty/Perry). Kings have shown some ATS value as underdogs recently; totals have mixed results.

Game Odds

Ottawa Senators              – 120

Los Angeles Kings            5.5

Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Wednesday, October 28, 2026

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