In the past few weeks in the West, the Los Angeles Kings have been struggling on home ice recently in the Pacific Division in mid-to-late December this past month. But it's a new year and a chance to turn the page from the calendar year from 2025 to 2026 this upcoming week in the West for head coach Jim Hiller and the Kings.
New Year's resolutions for 2026 for captain Anze Kopitar and the Los Angeles Kings in the West
Over the past nine games in the past three weeks in the West, the Kings are 2-5-2 since mid-December this past month.
Last Monday's performance (Dec. 29) a few days ago earlier this week against the Colorado Avalanche on the road in Denver in a competitive 5-2 loss in the West had some positive takeaways for the Kings in the Pacific Division. The Kings looked good offensively in a six-goal outburst in a dominant win over the Anaheim Ducks in the Pacific Division on home ice on Dec. 27 this past weekend.
Hiller and the Kings got a three-day break in the middle of this week before the matchup on New Year's Day between LA and the Tampa Bay Lightning on home ice at Crypto Arena.
Here are three New Year's resolutions for the Kings and Hiller after the turn of the calendar year from 2025 to 2026.
Improving the special teams on the power play
There have been too many games this regular season in the West that the Kings have been unable to convert on special teams on power play opportunities on the 5-on-4 man advantage in the Pacific Division. The Kings have not scored multiple goals on special teams on the power play on the 5-on-4 man advantage in any game this regular season in the 2025-26 campaign.
In the past couple of weeks in late December this past month, Hiller and the Kings got some final breakthroughs on special teams on the power play in the last few games in the West. The Kings have scored power play goals on special teams in each of the past two games on the 5-on-4 man advantage, including a goal on special teams against the Avalanche on the road in Denver.
With how difficult the Kings' upcoming schedule is in the West this month in January in the next few weeks, it will be critical for the team to continue to build momentum on special teams on the power play on the man advantage unit. Of the next 20 teams the Kings play after the turn of the calendar year to 2026 this week, 16 are in playoff spots in the league in the NHL this regular season.
Alex Turcotte breaking through as the third-line center position for the Kings
A couple of weeks ago this past month in late December, a door opened for an opportunity for young center Alex Turcotte when new general manager Ken Holland and the Kings traded veteran center Phillip Danault to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a second-round draft pick.
Turcotte has played double-digit minutes in time on the ice and well over a dozen shifts for the Kings' active forward lines group for the past five games in a row in the West for the team. He's consistently played third-line center position minutes for the Kings for the active forward lines core in the past couple of weeks in the West.
Turcotte hasn't scored any goals or total points in the West in the past 11 games for the Kings and Hiller.
Deep playoff run in the postseason in the West this spring
In the past few years in the West in the Pacific Division, it's been a struggle for the Kings to get out of the first round in the postseason in the playoffs in the 2020s decade. After the regular season's first three months in the West, the Kings rank fourth in the Pacific Division standings and in a wildcard spot for the postseason in the playoffs.
Something needs to spark if the Kings and center captain Anze Kopitar want to make a deep run in the postseason and seriously contend in the playoffs in the West this upcoming spring this season. Hiller and the Kings need to reduce the untimely and avoidable mistakes and penalties on special teams and find the right minutes distribution for the active forward lines roster this regular season.
Having key veteran players and standouts with the active forward lines core and the blue line on defense, like Kopitar, forward Adrian Kempe, and defenseman Drew Doughty, gives the Kings a stout active roster to compete in the West this regular season over the next few months.