The Los Angeles Kings had a pretty tough January as they went 5-7-1 as they spent a majority of the month on the road with eight games away from Crypto.com Arena. The good news, and hopefully a sign of things to come was the Kings started February with a big road win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
For most of the season, the Kings have stayed near the top of the Pacific Division and while they are still third, the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights have not been able to distance themselves that much from the Kings. For the Oilers, they have lost two straight meanwhile the Golden Knights have lost three straight and over the past 10 games are only 2-5-3.
Another thing worth watching over the next few weeks is what moves these teams make before the trade deadline. Some of the teams in the division have already gotten a jump on this as four teams have made at least one trade (Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks). In addition, the Golden Knights signed free agent Brandon Saad, who the St. Louis Blues waived.
The Kings almost certainly will be looking to make a move or two before the NHL Trade Deadline in March. When considering they have played at least two fewer games than every other team in the division, they have a good points percentage and with a majority of games at home to close out the season, it will be interesting to see if they can close the gap with the Oilers and Golden Knights.