LA Kings: Three reasons team will and won’t make the playoffs
By Jack Weber
LA Kings lack enough offense
This has been a pretty constant theme for the Kings over the years, even when they were contending. Once again, expect LA to have trouble scoring goals in 2021.
The Kings averaged 2.53 goals per game last season, which was the second-lowest mark in the NHL. They have only four forwards on their roster who even scored 30 points last year: Anze Kopitar (62), Alex Iafallo (43), Dustin Brown (35), and Adrian Kempe (32). Their power play ranked just 26th in the league at a 17.1 percent conversion rate.
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The LA Kings are certainly hoping their offense will be better this season, and maybe it will be. Maybe Adrian Kempe finally finds another gear. Maybe Gabriel Vilardi is ready to make an impact. Maybe Andreas Athanasiou proves to be a shrewd pickup and bounces back to his 30-goal form. Maybe the power play will be better.
Still, even if all those “maybes” come through for the Kings, don’t expect this team to be any sort of offensive juggernaut.