Los Angeles Kings Must Brave the Waves of the West-Pacific
The Los Angeles Kings are lost out at sea.
A storm is brewing over their heads. The sky is getting dark and it’s starting to rain. The seas of the Pacific are starting to churn and the waves and waves keep coming on like an unbearable onslaught.]
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The captains and the crew need to right the ship. They need to escape the storm. It’s not going to be easy, and one or two adjustments aren’t going to cut it. If the team can’t figure out what got them into this mess, and correct the problem, they will drown.
L.A. has had a bad go of it the last two months or so. In a time of year when the Kings usually excel, they have come out and instead struggled immensely.
It’s hard to point a finger at one particular thing, or player and say with certainty that their the culprit. Yet, it’s right in front of our eyes. Every time the Kings take the ice we can see it. There is something terribly wrong.
Fans who follow the team closely know there have been a number of issues that have repeatedly plagued the team: they get shots but can’t score, the defense hasn’t played well, the goaltending hasn’t lived up to the last few seasons, there’s difficulty getting into the opposing zone with control of the puck; and on and on.
It’s so very puzzling because the team has remained, for the most part, intact in terms of personnel. The core group of players are still here.
All the while fans have seen the team slide from 7th, to 8th, to 9th, to 10th in the Western Conference standings. The Kings are now sitting in 5th in the Pacific Division and tied for 10th with the floundering Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars (both have more wins than the Kings) in the Western Conference. One more bad road loss and the Kings could be in 12th place in the West – third worst after the Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers.
No one has dared to mention, let alone think, that the Kings could end the season in 20th or 22nd place in the NHL overall. If they keep playing like this on the road L.A. could be crossing-their fingers with a decent chance for the Connor McDavid, 2015 NHL Draft 1st overall lottery pick. A race between the drowning teams that Hockey Hall of Fame writer Terry Jones has called the “Dishonor for Connor.”
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Clearly the Kings aren’t trying to tank their season. Though, if you look at their road record the case could be made.
The Kings have put themselves in a bad place. Their backs are against the wall, and now they are at the point of no return.
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, in his book Beyond Good and Evil, said, “when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”
The next month will be revealing for the Kings strength of character. A character that has been repeatedly tested under immense pressure over the last four hockey seasons.
It’s been a long hard road and the Kings have come back from it before. Can they brave the storm? Can they figure out what’s wrong? Can they sort out their scoring woes? Can they get back to the promise land of the playoffs? Can they do it again?
Only time will tell.
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Jan 31, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; As Los Angeles Kings players head for the bench, Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) is congratulated after his second goal of the game during the third period of the Boston Bruins 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports