The Kings end their five-game road trip on October 27, 2026, in Chicago, and Anton Forsberg is expected to be in goal against his former club. It is the last stop of a hard travel stretch and the first time the Kings have played the Blackhawks this season.
Forsberg has already shown he can handle this matchup. In his only start against Chicago last season, he made 22 saves on 23 shots in a 3-1 victory at United Center, and that result gives the Kings a familiar option on a night when the schedule has left little margin for error. The trip has also exposed a problem that cannot be ignored: the Kings were out-attempted 84-47 in the second period over their first three games on the road, a gap that has put extra pressure on a goaltender who may need to steady a game that starts with pace and can turn quickly.
The timing matters because the Kings did not hold a morning skate before the game in Chicago, a sign of how much the back-to-back set has compressed the day. Mats Zuccarello was placed on injured reserve on October 26, 2026, and will not play, while Cody Ceci and Jared Wright were listed as possible lineup options. That leaves Peter Laviolette with choices to make before puck drop, even with the projected line rushes pointing toward a fairly steady look.
Chicago comes in finishing a four-game homestand after losing its first three games to Dallas, Montreal and Florida, and Patrick Kane has been its most productive skater with six assists and seven points in his first season back with the Blackhawks. He also sits second in Blackhawks franchise history with 785 assists and 1,232 points, and his 447 goals rank third. Connor Bedard, meanwhile, led all Blackhawks players with two goals in three games against the Kings last season, which gives Chicago a couple of familiar threats even while the club has struggled at home this month.
The Kings have reason to believe Forsberg can hold up, but the larger question is whether they can solve the second period before it swallows another game. Drew Doughty said the issue has been addressed and will be fixed next game, and this one is the next game. If the Kings sharpen their puck play and Laviolette keeps the lineup intact, they can leave Chicago with more than just a clean ending to the trip; if not, the same middle-period drift that has haunted them on the road will follow them home.
