Fansided

Kings’ 3-game losing skid ends potential of franchise point record

By Cameron Franck |
Apr 8, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Viktor Arvidsson (33) celebrates his goal with defenseman Drew Doughty (8) during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Viktor Arvidsson (33) celebrates his goal with defenseman Drew Doughty (8) during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

At the beginning of April, the LA Kings had a chance to break their all-time point record that has held up since the 1974-1975 season. In 1975, the Kings finished their regular season with 105 points.

Since then, Los Angeles has not been known as a high-scoring team. The Kings are more of a team that will play solid defense and grind you down to the final horn. But, this year has been different than their typical gameplan. Forward additions Kevin Fiala and Viktor Arvidsson have helped the Kings put the puck in the back of the net more than they’re used to, and the recent spike in points for Adrian Kempe has been a huge aid, as well.

However, the bright outlook for the potential to break that record came crashing down when the Kings suffered brutal injuries to some of their key players. Kevin Fiala went down on March 9th with a lower-body injury in a game against the Colorado Avalanche after colliding knee-on-knee with Colorado’s Andrew Cogliano.

Fiala did appear in a red jersey during practice on March 24th, meaning he was under no-contact protocol, but would not play the following day against Winnipeg. However, he did return on April 1st against the Seattle Kraken but was noticeably in pain on the sidelines. So, he is a key member of the team that the Kings desperately need healthy for the playoffs.

Recently re-signed defenseman Mikey Anderson went down with an undisclosed injury after a brutal boarding by Edmonton’s Connor McDavid in a divisional matchup on March 30th against the Oilers. And since then, he has not been back on the ice.

Gabriel Vilardi suffered an upper-body injury at the end of March and has yet to also return to the ice. So, the LA Kings need to get healthy, and this is a large reason why the Kings have lost three straight games to the Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Colorado Avalanche, respectively.

With the Kings already clinching a playoff spot, I can’t imagine that Head Coach Todd McLellan would be in a hurry to bring them back. So, as long as they are recovering and ready for the playoffs, then the Kings will have a chance to compete in what will most likely be a first-round matchup with the Edmonton Oilers.

However, the Oilers are only two points behind the Golden Knights with two games left to play in the season for both teams. It’s a race to first place between those two teams.

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