The Los Angeles Kings got a well-deserved five day break this week as they are coming off a seven-game, 15-day road trip through the middle part of December. It started off pretty well for the Kings as they won two of their first three games however, struggled a bit down the stretch as they went 1-1-2 over the final four games.
They now enter the CBA mandated break where there is no hockey games or roster moves allowed from December 24-26 with a 19-10-5 record and 43 points. This has them in third place in the Pacific Division but the Kings could quickly move up to second as early as Saturday.
Their first game back from the break will be against the Edmonton Oilers, who are just one point ahead of them. A win on Saturday will be enough to move them up in the standings. They then have another game the following night against the Philadelphia Flyers as part of a five game home stand.
Pacific Division Standings at the Holiday Break based on Points Percentage
1. Vegas Golden Knights (.721)
2. Edmonton Oilers (.647)
3. Los Angeles Kings (.632)
4. Vancouver Canucks (.603)
5. Calgary Flames (.573)
6. Anaheim Ducks (.455)
7. Seattle Kraken (.444)
8. San Jose Sharks (.378)
When looking at points percentage, which takes out the difference in games played, it is clear the Vegas Golden Knights are well ahead the rest of the division. They are currently on a four-game win streak and have gone 8-2-0 over the last 10 games.
The Oilers have also been playing well as of late, with the same record over the past 10 games as the Golden Knight but have only been able to keep pace and not close the game. Meanwhile, the Kings have two overtime losses and their struggles in overtime is already starting to show up in these standings.
While it may be too early to write off the Calgary Flames, it really feels like this season it is a three-team race for the division. However, the Kings are going to struggle to keep up if the Golden Knights continue to play as they have.