So far this season, the Kings have been dominant at Crytpo.com Arena as they have a 15-3-1 home record. However, away from Los Angeles, the Kings have been anything but a dominant team.
The Kings are under .500 on the road, as they currently hold an 11-13-5 away record. After getting shutout by the Panthers 3-0, the Kings lost their fourth straight road game.
Through this losing streak, Los Angeles has been outplayed on power plays. In the four losses, the Kings opponents have racked up two goals on 11 power play opportunities. On the flipside, the Kings have only tallied one goal over six power play opportunities.
Although there was only one more power play goal against the Kings through this stretch, the Kings lacked an advantage to help the offense. The lack of more power plays greatly derailed the Kings offense.
Offensively, Los Angeles has not generated enough pressure on the opposing goaltenders. Every goaltender the Kings faced had at least a .933 save percentage or better. In comparison, the Kings only recorded better than a .900 save percentage in one of those games.
This happened in the matchup against the Panthers, where Bobrovsky recorded a 1.000 save percentage for Florida. The Kings goaltenders were outplayed in every game of this losing streak.
Goaltending and lack of power plays are the biggest culprits for the current losing streak for the Kings. These aspects must be cleaned up to finish in their last two games of the road trip.
If the Kings continue to have these same struggles against the Lightning and Hurricanes, then it is likely the losing streak will continue. Los Angeles must show that they can perform their best on the road against these playoff-caliber teams in the East.
Losses to the Hurricanes and Lightning could result in the Kings getting further away from the second seed in the Pacific. The Kings need to make up as much ground as possible as the Oilers and Golden Knights are nine points ahead in the standings.
A true Stanley Cup contender can win at any arena against any team. If the Kings fail to show they can’t win on the road, then they may not be in the discussion as a true contender.
