Kings Just Got A Major National TV Boost

The Los Angeles Kings won’t have to wait long to take center stage.

Their 2026-27 season will open on national television, with the Kings traveling to Colorado on Sept. 30 for a TNT matchup against the Avalanche. It’s a rematch of last spring’s playoff meeting, giving the Kings an intriguing opponent right out of the gate.

That game was already known. Now, the rest of the Kings’ national television schedule has been revealed.

Los Angeles will appear in 12 nationally televised games during the 2026-27 regular season, with its schedule spread across TNT, ESPN and ESPN+/Hulu.

Here’s how the full slate breaks down.

Sept. 30: Kings at Avalanche

The Kings will make three appearances on TNT, with two of them coming against the San Jose Sharks.

That pairing makes plenty of sense. The Kings and Sharks have developed one of the NHL’s more familiar West Coast rivalries, and San Jose now has one of the league’s biggest young stars in Macklin Celebrini.

The two California rivals will meet twice on TNT this season, adding another layer to what should be two highly anticipated matchups.

Oct. 6: Kings vs. Panthers

The Kings will make just one appearance on ESPN’s main network this season, but it comes on an important night.

Los Angeles’ home opener against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 6 will be nationally televised, giving fans their first look at the Kings on home ice with the added spotlight of ESPN.

After that, the Kings’ remaining national appearances will come through ESPN+ and Hulu.

Nov. 10: Kings vs. Predators
Nov. 12: Kings vs. Islanders
Jan. 19: Kings vs. Kraken
March 11: Kings at Kraken

That gives Los Angeles eight games on ESPN+ and Hulu, making up the largest portion of its national schedule.

For Kings fans outside the Los Angeles market who already subscribe to ESPN+ for the NHL’s out-of-market package, these games will be available through that service. Fans inside the Los Angeles market, however, will have to keep the streaming-only nature of these matchups in mind.

In other words, there are going to be a handful of nights this season when the Kings aren’t simply a channel change away.

Along with the national broadcast schedule, the NHL also announced several changes to the start times of Kings games throughout the season.

Here are the updated times:

Dec. 9: Sharks at Kings — moved from 7:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 15: Kings at Red Wings — moved from 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 28: Kings at Flyers — moved from 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
March 7: Avalanche at Kings — moved from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
March 11: Kings at Kraken — moved from 6:40 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
April 6: Kings at Ducks — moved from 7:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

So while the Kings’ national schedule isn’t exactly overflowing with ESPN appearances, Los Angeles will still have a dozen games receiving national exposure throughout the 2026-27 campaign.

And it starts with one of the most compelling matchups possible: a trip back to Colorado for a rematch with the Avalanche on opening night.

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