Our Boston Bruins vs Los Angeles Kings preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Saturday, October 17, 2026. The Boston Bruins (5-2-0 before Friday’s game; 45-27-10 in 2025-26) visit the Los Angeles Kings (0-3-2 this season; 35-27-20 in 2025-26) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. Puck drop is 9:00 PM ET (6:00 PM local). TV: ABTV / NESN.
Storyline: Boston plays at Anaheim on Friday night, Oct. 16, so Saturday’s game is the second night of a back-to-back for the Bruins. Los Angeles enters Saturday at 0-3-2 after a 4-1 loss to Edmonton (Oct. 13). Boston won both meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Los Angeles at -135 and Boston at +114 on the moneyline, with the total at 5.5.
Boston Bruins vs Los Angeles Kings Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Boston Bruins @ Los Angeles Kings |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Boston Bruins 5-2-0 (plays Friday, Oct. 16) | Los Angeles Kings 0-3-2 |
| 2025-26 Records | Boston Bruins 45-27-10 | Los Angeles Kings 35-27-20 |
| Head Coaches | BOS: Marco Sturm (2nd season) | LAK: Peter Laviolette (1st season) |
| Puck Line | BOS +1.5 (-205) | LAK -1.5 (+170) |
| Moneyline | Boston Bruins: +114 | Los Angeles Kings: -135 |
| Total | O/U 5.5 (o-125 / u+105) |
| Venue | Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, Calif.) |
| Date / Time | Saturday, October 17, 2026 — 9:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | ABTV / NESN |
| Probable Starting Goalies | BOS: Michael DiPietro (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed); Boston plays at Anaheim Friday | LAK: Darcy Kuemper (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, ~6:24 PM ET. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Michael DiPietro (Boston) and Darcy Kuemper (Los Angeles) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
Boston Bruins Preview: Second Night of a Back-to-Back
2025-26 recap: Boston went 45-27-10 (100 points), finished fourth in the Atlantic Division and lost to Buffalo in six games in the first round. David Pastrnak led the team with 100 points (29 goals, 71 assists), Morgan Geekie scored 39 goals, Pavel Zacha scored 30 and Charlie McAvoy had 61 points.
Offseason moves: Boston acquired forward JJ Peterka from Utah on June 26 for two first-round selections (2026 and 2028) after Viktor Arvidsson left for Detroit. The Bruins signed defenseman Connor Clifton, and forward James Hagens, the No. 7 selection in the 2025 draft, made the opening roster at 19 (NHL.com, Boston Globe).
Key players & coach: Pastrnak, Peterka, Elias Lindholm, Geekie, Zacha, Casey Mittelstadt, Fraser Minten, Hagens and Mark Kastelic lead the forwards. McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Will Borgen, Clifton, Mason Lohrei and Frederic Brunet are on defense. Marco Sturm is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Entering Friday’s game, Jeremy Swayman had started six games and was 5-1-0 with a .930 save percentage (159 saves on 171 shots). Most recently, he made 35 saves on 38 shots in a 6-3 win at San Jose (Oct. 13). Michael DiPietro had started one game and was 0-1-0 with an .897 save percentage (26 saves on 29 shots). That start was a 4-1 loss at Minnesota (Oct. 3). ESPN lists Michael DiPietro as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Before Friday’s game, Boston was 5-2-0 through seven games, with 26 goals scored and 16 allowed. Results: a 3-0 win over the Rangers (Sept. 29), a 4-3 overtime win at Winnipeg (Oct. 2), a 4-1 loss at Minnesota (Oct. 3), a 4-1 loss to Ottawa (Oct. 5), a 6-1 win over Utah (Oct. 8), a 5-1 win over Philadelphia (Oct. 10) and a 6-3 win at San Jose (Oct. 13). David Pastrnak has eight points (two goals, six assists), and Fraser Minten has seven points (four goals, three assists) (NHL.com).
Second night of a back-to-back: Boston visits the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, Oct. 16 (10:00 p.m. ET), so Saturday’s game is the second half of a back-to-back.
Injuries: ESPN’s injury report listed no players for this team at research time.
Los Angeles Kings Preview: Still Looking for a First Win
2025-26 recap: Los Angeles went 35-27-20 (90 points), finished fourth in the Pacific Division and was swept by Colorado in the first round. Adrian Kempe led the team with 73 points (36 goals, 37 assists), Quinton Byfield had 49 points, Alex Laferriere had 44, and Artemi Panarin had 27 points in 26 games after arriving from the Rangers during the season (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Peter Laviolette replaced D.J. Smith, who finished last season as coach after Jim Hiller began it. Los Angeles added forward Mats Zuccarello (54 points for Minnesota), forward Erik Haula (38 points for Nashville) and defenseman Erik Gustafsson. Longtime center Anze Kopitar (38 points in 67 games) is no longer on the roster, and Andrei Kuzmenko now plays for Pittsburgh (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Kempe, Panarin, Byfield, Laferriere, Haula, Trevor Moore, Corey Perry and Scott Laughton lead the forwards. Drew Doughty, Brandt Clarke, Mikey Anderson, Brian Dumoulin, Cody Ceci and Joel Edmundson are on defense. Laviolette is in his first season as coach.
Goalies: Darcy Kuemper has started four games and is 0-3-1 with an .847 save percentage (83 saves on 98 shots). Most recently, he made 4 saves on 7 shots in a 4-1 loss to Edmonton (Oct. 13). Anton Forsberg has started one game and is 0-0-1 with an .853 save percentage (29 saves on 34 shots, including relief). That start was a 5-4 overtime loss at San Jose (Oct. 3). ESPN lists Darcy Kuemper as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Los Angeles is 0-3-2 through five games, with 11 goals scored and 21 allowed. Results: an 8-4 loss at Colorado (Sept. 30), a 5-4 overtime loss at San Jose (Oct. 3), a 2-1 loss to Florida (Oct. 6), a 2-1 overtime loss at Vegas (Oct. 10) and a 4-1 loss to Edmonton (Oct. 13). Artemi Panarin has four points (three goals, one assist), and Brandt Clarke has four points (one goal, three assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Alex Turcotte (undisclosed), Mats Zuccarello (undisclosed) and Kevin Fiala (lower leg surgery) are on injured reserve; Jakub Dvorak (upper body) and Jan Jenik (undisclosed) are on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Bruins vs Kings
- Schedule spot: Boston plays at Anaheim on Friday, so Saturday is the second night of a back-to-back for the Bruins. Los Angeles last played on Oct. 13 and visits Washington on Oct. 20.
- Last season: Boston won both meetings last season: 2-1 in overtime in Los Angeles on Nov. 21, 2025 and 2-1 in overtime at home on March 10, 2026 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: Boston is converting 16.7 percent of its power plays and has killed 76 percent of penalties. Los Angeles is converting 15.8 percent of its power plays and has killed 57.9 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: Boston has scored 26 goals and allowed 16 in 7 games before Friday. Los Angeles has scored 11 goals and allowed 21 in 5 games.
- Odds snapshot: Los Angeles -135 / Boston +114 on the moneyline, Kings -1.5 (+170) on the puck line, total 5.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Boston Bruins vs Los Angeles Kings
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Puck drop: 9:00 PM ET (6:00 PM local)
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, Calif.
TV: In the U.S., ABTV carries it in the Kings’ market and NESN carries it in the Bruins’ market (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 17, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.