The Los Angeles Kings have lost one of their most important players to injury early in Saturday night's game on the road against the Ottawa Senators, with veteran defenseman Drew Doughty done for the rest of the evening after getting hurt in the second period.
Doughty exited the ice after trying to block a shot in the second period. The Kings later announced that he's not returning to the contest.
“Defenseman Drew Doughty will not return to tonight’s game due to a lower-body injury,” Los Angeles' social media post on X, formerly Twitter, shared.
Before he left the Senators game at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Doughty had a plus-1 and two blocked shots for the Kings, who entered Saturday on the heels of a 4-3 overtime victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on the road on Thursday. That victory over the Maple Leafs also kept the Kings undefeated through three outings in their six-game road trip.
Doughty, who is in his 18th season in the NHL, remains an integral part of the Kings. Through the first 18 games he's played in the 2025-26 NHL regular season, the two-time Stanley Cup champion and former James Norris Memorial Trophy winner has a 54.5 percent Corsi for on all situations and a 55.1 percent Corsi for on even-strength scenarios.
About to turn 36 years old in December, Doughty's status for the Kings' next game is unclear at the time of this writing. Los Angeles will have a rest day on Sunday before getting back to action on Monday against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
