LA Kings Search for Consistency After Early Problems
- Updated: November 8, 2016
“Kings game” (CC BY 2.0) by Anna Majkowska
The Los Angeles Kings have been a constant presence in the NHL post-season since the arrival of Darryl Sutter as head coach, with only the Chicago Blackhawks boasting better success over the last 10 years. However, the Kings have underperformed in their last two campaigns, raising the urgency to reach the latter stages of the playoffs this term.
Sutter’s men finished outside the playoff places in the 2014-15 campaign for the first time since 2009, placing in fourth in the Pacific Division. An improvement in form came in the last term, moving up to second and securing a post-season berth, only to lose in the first round to the San Jose Sharks.
The Kings have endured an inconsistent start to the new campaign, and as a result of their patchy form they are backed in the latest Bet365 NHL betting at 20/1 to win the Stanley Cup for the third time. However, to achieve that feat Sutter will need to ensure that his side address their issues that have seen them begin the term in underwhelming fashion.
Los Angeles were dealt a blow in the off-season when they lost the services of Milan Lucic, who left the club after just one season, with the left winger failing to produce his best form in the playoffs. The franchise were prudent in the free-agent market, making a series of low-cost moves, along with signing center Trevor Lewis to a four-year contract extension.
Sutter’s men were handed the opportunity to avenge their defeat in the playoffs to the Sharks in their opener, but San Jose were able to run out 2-1 victors at the SAP Center thanks to a strike in the third period by Brent Burns as his effort beat Kings replacement goaltender Jeff Zatkoff.
Back-to-back defeats followed for the Kings against the Philadelphia Flyers and the Minnesota Wild, putting Los Angeles under immense pressure. However, they responded with four wins on the bounce, three of which came in overtime and another in a shootout over the Vancouver Canucks.
Tanner Pearson, Alec Martinez and Anze Kopitar’s form in front of the net drove the Kings into a winning record, but their defensive struggles continued to put them in jeopardy. When the attacking trio failed to fire over the next three matches, Sutter’s men lost three on the spin, conceding eight goals in the process without finding the net at the other end.
“Los Angeles Kings” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by mark6mauno
The offense responded in a 3-2 overtime win over the reigning Stanley Cup champions the Pittsburgh Peguins, with Nic Dowd netting the crucial goal in the additional period at Staples Center. Finally the defense responded in a comfortable win over the Calgary Flames to get the Kings back to .500 in their season as a result of their first shutout of the term.
In the early stages of the season, Los Angeles appears to be an imbalanced team and one that is unlikely to display the consistency to secure one of the top seeds in the Western Conference. However, in their past Stanley Cup triumphs the Kings have never been either the one or two seed in their Conference, which will give them plenty of confidence going forward, along with their victory over the Penguins; a win that proved that they can match anyone on their day.
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