The Los Angeles Kings had played 56 games before the NHL entered its Olympic break, leaving them with 26 games left in the regular season. 15 of the 26 games will be played at home, where the Kings have a below-average record.500 record (8-11-7) and are giving up more goals (72) than they are scoring (63) against their opponents. Meanwhile, they are just .500 away from Crypto.com Arena with a 15-8-7 record and have scored more goals (79) than their own arena.
Of course, fighting for a playoff spot with no spot guaranteed is a tough task, considering the hectic schedule, including a back-to-back tonight against the top two teams in their division, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Edmonton Oilers.
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13 of the 26 games will be against teams currently in playoff position or right in the mix to make the playoffs, and their first nine games back from the break will be against teams above .500 and in the mix to make the playoffs.
Now, the other half of the 13 teams will be those currently out of the playoff hunt but still fighting to get back in the mix. That’s not necessarily good news, because all those teams, like the Kings, will be fighting for urgency themselves, but at least Los Angeles can make up for any losses they suffer against teams below .500.
What’s at Stake
The Kings are currently in fifth place in the Pacific Division, four points behind the Oilers for the second seed, who are in a slump, having lost three straight and five of their last eight games. Seattle and Anaheim are both one point behind Edmonton for that second seed and can overtake the Oilers, especially with the Kraken and the Ducks playing solid before the break.
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Now, the Kings have already defeated the Oilers this season, most recently on Dec. 10, when they won 4-3 in a shootout, and will play them two more times before the season ends, including tomorrow night after tonight’s game against Vegas.
Just like last season, Vegas is in pole position to lock up the one seed in the division, right now holding a four-point lead over the Oilers with 68 points, but did end the first half playing poorly, losing six of their last eight games, primarily due to Jack Eichel and Noah Hanific being out, who will also miss tonights game against the Kings, something Los Angeles needs to take advantage of and win this game against a banged up Vegas team.
Now, they’ve already lost to the Golden Knights twice this season, but tonight will be the final game between the two. A win will split the season series 2-2 and could help Los Angeles in the tiebreaker if Vegas continues to slide.
The only concern for Los Angeles right now is health and consistency as their schedule continues to heat up. Losing Kevin Fiala for most likely the entire season is certainly a blow, but the good news is that Los Angeles acquired Artemi Panarin, who will make his debut tonight for the Kings and will instantly become a game-changer for Los Angeles, looking to make noise down the stretch.
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The Kings have been a very mediocre team this season. On one hand, they look like a playoff team, and on other nights, they look like a team that doesn’t belong in the playoffs. The home record is concerning, and the Kings will need to fix it starting tonight if they want a chance to play in April.
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