LA Kings: Los Angeles is Barely Weathering the Storm
By Brook Smith
After a phenomenal start to the season, the Kings have had a tough couple of weeks. They now sit at second in the Pacific Division, just behind the Golden Knights.
The LA Kings’ struggles continue, as they prepare for back to back tough match-ups against Detroit and Washington this week. In their last game, the Kings were able to barely defeat the Ducks in a shootout on Saturday. That’s not really saying much though since Anaheim already has ten losses on the season.
Since they last played Anaheim, the Kings have dropped 7 games and won just one game. This obviously hasn’t been the hope of Kings fans everywhere, especially considering how they started the season. The worst part about this dismal losing streak is the teams they have been losing to. Only three of those teams they lost to are even in the top two of their division. The lone win of that losing streak came against a very bad Florida Panthers team.
So what has been the problem with Los Angeles that’s caused this slump? Well for starters, the Kings just flat out are not scoring goals. Since November 9th when their losing streak took a turn for the worst, the Kings only have 16 goals . That would put them tied for a league worst for that stretch, matching with three other teams.
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Defense has not really been a problem in this particular period, despite having over 280 shots taken against them. Jonathan Quick continues to be as reliable as ever, ranking in the top ten for goalies in the NHL. His 2.35 goals against average is good ninth in the league overall. It’s been a tough month, but the Kings just have to find a way to score goals and keep their leads.
The good news is that things are looking up. The team was able to defeat Anaheim over the weekend and they have a relatively weak schedule over the course of the next month or so. While there are a few really good teams sprinkled into the mix (Capitals, Blues, Devils, Knights), it should be a relatively easy month. The other good news is that Marian Gaborik is scheduled to make his return on Friday night. Gaborik went down early in the season with a knee injury.