Los Angeles Kings vs Boston Bruins 18 October 2026 Prediction

The Los Angeles Kings host the Boston Bruins in a matchup between teams from opposite conferences. Boston has won three straight, while Los Angeles is still looking for its first win of the season.

The Kings Are Still Winless

Los Angeles is the only team in the Western Conference without a win, though the Kings have played just five games, fewer than the other teams in the conference. They have earned two points from overtime road losses to San Jose, 5-4, and Vegas, 2-1. Most recently, Peter Laviolette’s team lost 4-1 at home to Edmonton.

The Kings outshot the Oilers 40-17 in that game. They average 29.8 shots on goal, a top-10 mark in the NHL, but have converted just 7.4% of them, the league’s third-lowest shooting percentage.

Los Angeles Kings Predicted Lineup: Forsberg (Kuemper); Dumoulin, Doughty; Panarin, Byfield, Kempe

Other available players: Defensemen: Clarke, Gustafsson, Anderson, Ceci, Edmundson. Forwards: Perry, Haula, Laferriere, Moore, Laughton, Armia, Helenius, Lee.

Out: Fiala, Zuccarello, Turcotte (injuries)

Manager: Peter Laviolette

Boston Has Won Three Straight

The Bruins have won three consecutive games, scoring at least five goals in each. That run has moved Marco Sturm’s team into the leading group in the Eastern Conference. Boston beat San Jose 6-3 on the road in its most recent game, with Fraser Minten scoring twice.

Boston allowed two power-play goals against San Jose and failed to score on its own chances. The Bruins have converted 17.7% of their power plays, ranking 18th in the NHL. They also rank 23rd in expected goals, at 2.92 per game.

Boston Bruins Predicted Lineup: Swayman (DiPietro); H. Lindholm, McAvoy; Geekie, Zacha, Pastrnak

Other available players: Defensemen: Zadorov, Borgen, Brunet, Lohrei. Forwards: Khusnutdinov, Minten, Peterka, Mittelstadt, E. Lindholm, Hagens, Jeannot, Poitras, Kastelic.

Out: No players listed

Manager: Marco Sturm

Recent Head-to-Head Results

Boston won three of the four meetings over the past two seasons by a 2-1 score in overtime, including both games last season. Charlie McAvoy scored the overtime winner at home, and Morgan Geekie scored it on the road.

Key Stats

Los Angeles has not scored in the third period of any of its last three games.

Boston has scored on 14% of its shots on goal, the fourth-highest rate in the NHL.

The Kings have converted 15.8% of their power plays, ranking 25th in the league.

Los Angeles Kings vs Boston Bruins Prediction: Boston Bruins Moneyline at 2.15

Main prediction: Los Angeles has yet to win this season and has scored just once in each of its two home games, both regulation losses. Boston has won two of its last three road games and both meetings with the Kings last season. The pick is Boston Bruins moneyline at 2.15. The suggested exact score is a 3-2 Boston win.

Goals prediction: Neither team scored more than twice in three of the last four head-to-head games. Each of Los Angeles’s last three games also finished with five goals or fewer. The pick is under 5.5 total goals at 2.07.