Angeles Analysis – The Trip That Was

Ten days ago, the LA Kings set out on the road, on what had the potential to be a season-defining trip for the organization. Defining can go in either direction, but the opportunity was a huge one.

In talking with defenseman Drew Doughty, the Kings certainly felt that way internally as well. He said they held a team meeting to discuss the opportunity ahead and the importance that this trip brought for this team. They knew what they had in front of them. Six games on the road, for a team that was seeking their first really extended winning streak of the season. Not to say it was an easy task, but with the season inside 30 games remaining at the conclusion of the trip, you have to take the opportunities you get. That’s the position the Kings have put themselves in.

In total, the Kings won three games and collected seven points, though the trip obviously wound up as a five-game trip, not a six-game trip. 3-1-1, 7 points out of 10. Was it a season-defining trip in either direction, as it had the potential to be? No. But it was a good trip that I think got the ship moving a bit in the right direction.

I didn’t take a ton from the St. Louis or Philadelphia games. The Kings won both games, though neither was very convincing. Same thoughts as the win over the Rangers. All three wins were necessary and the Kings got the job done. I thought the Detroit game was one of the best games the Kings have played all season. Close to a complete 60 minutes, where they took it to one of the NHL’s best clubs this season. It’s the type of performance that I think we’ve been crying out for, but that we haven’t gotten enough of. It’s a reminder that when the Kings show up, they’re capable of some pretty solid showings.

The Buffalo game was interesting. The Kings did a lot of things well but they didn’t do enough to get the win. They created more scoring chances in Buffalo at even strength than in any of the other four games on the trip. They got a couple bad bounces and I am still confused about Alex Laferriere’s disallowed goal, both from the perspective of why it didn’t count and why the Kings didn’t challenge it. But a loss was a loss and they have to own that one.

Then came Carolina. What I think we learned in Carolina is that no matter what you think about the current iteration of the Kings, there’s not any quit in the group. Sometimes, when a team fails to meet expectations, as the Kings have thus far this season, you see a team quit on games or at least on moments within games. They might quit on a coach. They might quit on each other, on the team. The Kings have played more one-goal games than any other club in the NHL, which means that often times, it’s been a grind to even get the points that they have. When the Kings went down 2-0 in Carolina, it was another one of those moments, where some teams might’ve quit. Instead, the Kings got a bump-up goal from their fourth line, who got an opportunity in that moment and delivered. They later tied the game as Adrian Kempe and Quinton Byfield connected on a nice play, the second straight game those two have connected in a key moment. The Kings actually had a few more chances in that game than the SOG count would tell you but it wasn’t a pretty performance no matter how you shake it. It was a gutsy performance, though. For all the points this season that I’d classify as bad points or points lost, stemming from very winnable games, this one certainly felt different. That was a point earned, by a team that has yet to quit. Something to be said for that.

So where does all that leave things as the team comes back home for two final games before the Olympic break?

Like I said, it wasn’t a defining trip. Defining goes two ways, though. Defining in a good way could have meant a four-win trip – or more – and finally finding that stretch of games the Kings have spoken about for what feels like two months. It also could have been defining the other way, though. A one-win trip? You’re contending in the lottery, not the playoffs. If this trip went South, the Kings would have been facing questions they likely wouldn’t have wanted to find the answers to.

This trip was neither, though it was certainly slanted towards the good end of things. It was a good trip. It wasn’t a great trip, but not being a great trip doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good trip. It was. The Kings got on the plane home sitting in the first wild card spot, one point behind Seattle for third in the division and four points behind both Vegas and Edmonton.

Up next on the calendar? Seattle. The game after that? Vegas. Following the Olympic break, the first game out? Vegas. The game after that? Edmonton.

So, while it wasn’t a signature, defining trip, the Kings kicked the can down the road in the right direction. The direction of opportunity. They gained a little bit of ground in the standings and set themselves up for another moment to finally put their stamp on this season. Four consecutive games against the three teams directly in front of them, within a stone’s throw, with three of those games coming at home. The Kings have played those teams five times this season and all five games have been decided by one goal. Four of those games have gone into overtime and two have gone all the way to a shootout.

By having a good trip, the Kings have given themselves yet another opportunity to make that statement. The statement they’ve wanted to make for some time. With a day off today to recover and their final practice before the break tomorrow, it’s a statement that’ll have to wait a bit. But being in a position to do it, coming off a trip that had a number of outcomes, is not a bad place to be.