Going into the season, if one were to tell you that the Los Angeles Kings would be one of the league’s best teams this season, would you have believed them?
I know that I would not have. Sure, I figured they had some good players and would find a way to squeak into the playoffs, but that is really all I thought about the Kings.
Do not look now, but the Kings are trying to prove everyone wrong this year. As of this writing (Thursday, March 9), the team is tied for first in the Pacific Division with the Vegas Golden Knights and is sixth in the league with a 37-20-8 record for 82 points.
There are a few reasons why the Kings have had success this season. For starters, They have had an unbelievable stretch of hockey where they have not lost many games.
The Kings are 12-3-2 in their last 17 games. When a team has that kind of a stretch, especially at this point in the season, it usually puts them in a good spot to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. If the Kings continue to play the way they are right now, they may even end up with a home-ice advantage in the first round.
The Kings have also done their job by taking advantage of teams they should beat, especially during the last bit. As The Hockey News writer Adam Proteau mentioned in this article, the Kings beat teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, and Montreal Canadiens.
Lastly, the team has also gotten good enough goaltending from Pheonix Copley. Yes, his 2.76 goals-against average and .899 save percentage do not exactly scream great goaltender, but all he seems to do is win.
Copley, 31, is currently 20-4-0-2 with one shutout. He is doing enough to help his team win hockey games, and that is all that really matters when it comes down to it.
This team does not score a lot of goals, and they do not play great defensively. Despite that, they find ways to win hockey games, and if they can keep that up, they might just end up surprising some folks come April.
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Actually the author doesn’t realize the Kings D has been elite since mid-December and their offense is very good & has been the whole season, so I don’t know where he gets his opinions unless he looks at the season stats for D. He is right that Kings are one of the best teams currently. I’d say Top 6-7. Favorable schedule & improved goaltending with Korpisalo added, portends a 1st or at least 2nd place finish in the division, and home ice for 1-2 rounds, maybe even 3.