Carolina
1st Metropolitan43-19-3-3
Los Angeles
4th Pacific28-24-9-7
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Hurricanes vs Kings Game Overview
CAR vs LARecords
Head-To-HeadLast 10
Win / Loss
7-3
Over / Under
7-2-1
| Date | Home | Result | ML | O/U | HSOG | ASOG | HPP | APP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, '25 | LA |
7 - 2
|
LA -105 | o5.5 | 25 | 36 | 1-2 | 0-2 |
| Feb 01, '25 | CAR |
4 - 2
|
LA +128 | o5.5 | 28 | 26 | 0-3 | 0-1 |
| Jan 15, '24 | CAR |
5 - 2
|
LA +145 | o6.5 | 32 | 26 | 0-5 | 0-4 |
| Oct 14, '23 | LA |
6 - 5 (SO)
|
CAR -134 | o6.0 | 30 | 19 | 2-7 | 0-4 |
| Jan 31, '23 | CAR |
5 - 4 (OT)
|
CAR -188 | o6.0 | 30 | 21 | 2-2 | 1-2 |
| Dec 03, '22 | LA |
4 - 2
|
CAR -120 | P6.0 | 33 | 31 | 1-4 | 1-3 |
| Dec 18, '21 | CAR |
5 - 1
|
CAR -151 | o5.5 | 33 | 33 | 2-5 | 0-3 |
| Nov 20, '21 | LA |
5 - 4
|
CAR -149 | o5.5 | 43 | 20 | 0-4 | 0-2 |
| Jan 11, '20 | CAR |
2 - 0
|
CAR -200 | u6.0 | 30 | 41 | 0-2 | 0-2 |
| Oct 15, '19 | LA |
2 - 0
|
CAR -165 | u6.5 | 31 | 23 | 0-5 | 0-4 |
CAR vs LA Preview
Last Meeting ( Mar 22, 2025 ) Carolina 2, Los Angeles 7
Not only will the Los Angeles Kings be without their captain for the second consecutive game when they host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night, but they'll be without him for an extended period of time.
It was announced Thursday that Anze Kopitar is listed as week-to-week with a foot injury.
Kopitar, 38, missed the Kings' 4-2 home loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night after taking a puck to the foot against the Minnesota Wild on Monday.
Kopitar, who has four assists in four games, announced that this season would be his last in September.
Phillip Danault is projected to replace Kopitar as the first-line center between Andre Kuzmenko and Adrian Kempe.
Starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper also missed the loss to the Penguins and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Anton Forsberg made 22 saves in the loss to the Penguins, which was Los Angeles' third straight defeat (0-2-1 during that stretch).
"We're in a hole," Kings coach Jim Hiller said postgame. "We're in a funk. There's no question."
Los Angeles blew a 2-0 first-period lead that was provided by goals from Warren Foegele and Kevin Fiala.
Pittsburgh's first goal was a power-play effort, while the go-ahead goal, rookie Filip Hallander's first NHL tally, came short-handed to break a 2-2 tie 6:50 into the third period.
"We haven't won the special teams battle yet this season," Hiller said. "That's an important part of any hockey game, is the special teams battle. Hard to win if you don't win the special teams battle, so that's the one (area that was most disappointing)."
Both Kings' goals were at even strength.
The Hurricanes are the NHL's last unbeaten team at 4-0-0 after their 4-1 win over the Ducks in Anaheim on Thursday night.
Seth Jarvis had two goals and an assist, Sebastian Aho had a goal and an assist, rookie Alexander Nikishin scored his first NHL goal and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere had three assists for the Hurricanes.
Frederik Andersen made 23 saves.
"They all count the same this time of year," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "You've got to get off to a good start, which we have, so it's nice to get those points in the bank."
The Hurricanes forced the Ducks into several turnovers.
"I don't know if I've seen better sticks in a game," Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said of the Hurricanes. "I don't know how many times they took the puck away from us clean and neatly and turned it into something, but that was a relentless performance on how to play with your stick."
Nikishin has a four-game point streak (a goal and three assists) to start the season.
"He's kind of scratching the surface," Brind'Amour said. "There's a lot of raw ability there. That was a big goal. It kind of put the game away."
Nikishin's goal gave Carolina a 3-1 lead 2:38 into the third period.
Jarvis (five goals and two assists for seven points), Gostisbehere (1-6-7), Aho (1-5-6) and Jackson Blake (1-3-4) also extended their point streaks to four games.
Jarvis' first goal Thursday was the 100th of his career.
--Field Level Media
CAR vs LAInjury report
Carolina's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Gostisbehere | D | Day To Day - Lower Body( Mar 18, '26) | Mar 18, '26 | |
| Gostisbehere did not play on Wednesday's (Mar. 18) game versus the Penguins. | ||||
| P. Kochetkov | G | Out - Hip( Mar 05, '26) | Mar 05, '26 | |
| The Carolina Hurricanes said on Friday (Mar. 6) that Kochetkov might be available in time for the playoffs, according to Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News. | ||||
Los Angeles's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Armia | RW | Out - Upper Body( Mar 18, '26) | Mar 18, '26 | |
| The Kings said that Armia is Probable to play for Saturday's (Mar. 21) game versus the Sabres, per Alexander Legget of Mayors Manor. | ||||
| A. Kuzmenko | LW | Out - Meniscus( Mar 05, '26) | Mar 05, '26 | |
| The Los Angeles Kings said on Friday (Mar. 6) that Kuzmenko isn't expected to return before the end of the 2025-26 regular season, per John Hoven of SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. | ||||
| K. Fiala | LW | Out For Season - Leg( Mar 05, '26) | Mar 05, '26 | |
| The Los Angeles Kings said that Fiala won't be available before training camp for the 2026-27 campaign, per John Hoven of SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. | ||||
GoaltendersLast 5
W/L
4-0-1-0
GAA
2.20
Save %
.906
| Date | Score | W/L | GA | SA | SV% | SO | ML | O/U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F.Andersen | Oct 16, 2025 | ANA 1 - CAR 4 | W | 1 | 24 | .958 | - | W -188 | u6.5 |
| B.Bussi | Oct 14, 2025 | SJ 1 - CAR 5 | W | 1 | 17 | .941 | - | W -290 | o5.5 |
| F.Andersen | Oct 11, 2025 | CAR 4 - PHI 3 (OT) | W | 3 | 23 | .870 | - | W -295 | o5.5 |
| F.Andersen | Oct 9, 2025 | CAR 6 - NJ 3 | W | 3 | 22 | .864 | - | W -176 | o5.5 |
| P.Kochetkov | Oct 4, 2025 | NAS 3 - CAR 2 (OT) | - | 3 | 29 | .897 | - | L -166 | u5.5 |
W/L
1-3-0-1
GAA
3.60
Save %
.867
| Date | Score | W/L | GA | SA | SV% | SO | ML | O/U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.Forsberg | Oct 16, 2025 | LA 2 - PIT 4 | L | 3 | 25 | .880 | - | L -200 | u6.5 |
| D.Kuemper | Oct 13, 2025 | MIN 4 - LA 3 (SO) | - | 3 | 26 | .885 | - | L -118 | o5.5 |
| D.Kuemper | Oct 11, 2025 | WIN 3 - LA 2 | L | 3 | 27 | .889 | - | L +110 | u5.5 |
| A.Forsberg | Oct 8, 2025 | VEG 5 - LA 6 (SO) | W | 5 | 35 | .857 | - | W +168 | o5.5 |
| D.Kuemper | Oct 7, 2025 | LA 1 - COL 4 | L | 4 | 23 | .826 | - | L -113 | u5.5 |
CAR vs LAStats
Offense vs Defense
Goals
| OFFENSE |
Stat | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|
| 4.75 | Total | 4.00 |
| 0.50 | 1st Period | 0.80 |
| 2.00 | 2nd Period | 1.80 |
| 2.00 | 3rd Period | 1.20 |
| 0.25 | OT | 0.00 |
Shots
| OFFENSE |
Stat | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|
| 36.75 | Total | 27.40 |
| 12.25 | 1st Period | 10.00 |
| 14.25 | 2nd Period | 9.60 |
| 10.00 | 3rd Period | 7.00 |
| 0.25 | OT | 0.80 |
Shot Pct vs. Save Pct
| SHOOTING |
Stat | SAVE PCT. |
|---|---|---|
| 0.13 | Total | 0.85 |
| 0.04 | 1st Period | 0.92 |
| 0.14 | 2nd Period | 0.81 |
| 0.20 | 3rd Period | 0.83 |
| 1.00 | OT | 1.00 |
Power Play vs Penalty Kill
| POWERPLAY |
Stat | PENALTY KILL |
|---|---|---|
| 2 - 14 | G/Att vs. GA/Att | 8 - 24 |
| 14.29 | PP % vs. PK % | 66.67 |
Goaltenders
| Carolina Goaltenders |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | S | SV | SV% | WL | ||
| Frederik Andersen | 69 | 62 | 0.899 | 3-0-0 | ||
| Brandon Bussi | 17 | 16 | 0.941 | 1-0-0 | ||
| Pyotr Kochetkov | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0-0-0 | ||