Angeles Analysis – A Day To Reset

We’ve reached the end of the regular season, Insiders.

Now it’s time for the real deal.

The Kings tied franchise records for wins and points in a regular season with their performance here in 2024-25. If you offered that back in September, I’m pretty sure that most people would have taken it without thinking twice. Jim Hiller joked the other day that Kings broadcasters Jim Fox and Daryl Evans were linemates the last time the Kings had 105 points, during the 1974-75 season, though both in fact debuted several seasons later. It’s been quite awhile since we’ve seen that total.

There is something to be celebrated there. What the Kings did this season, especially when you compare it against preseason thoughts and predictions, was certainly quite impressive.

I mean, look at this team’s performance since the NHL Trade Deadline.

No team has won more games in that span than the Kings, who earned 17 victories. No team has collected more points either, as the Kings amassed 34 from those 17 wins. With a winning percentage of .773 in that time, only the St. Louis Blues ranked higher, as they ascended into the playoff picture with a staggering second half of the season. For a team that struggled to score goals at times, the Kings ranked second in the NHL with an average of 3.68 on a per-game basis. They did so while retaining their defensive excellence, allowing 2.00 goals per game, the number-one mark in the NHL.

Sure, those numbers are bolstered by a few lopsided victories, but hey, scoring six goals against Vegas and seven goals against Carolina should count for something, right? They’re also boosted, though, by a power play that elevated from one of the worst in the NHL to slightly above league average, clicking at 23.9 percent since the deadline. I don’t think anyone here is looking to get into a special teams battle with the Oilers in a playoff series, when you consider the dominance Edmonton has had in that area over the last three postseasons. In some ways, that’s out of the Kings control. They want to play 5-on-5 and have some control – not full – over what is or isn’t called. They’ll need something from special teams, though, over the course of the series. They’re certainly better served to get it than they were a couple months ago.

On the other side of things, I think you do have to take an honest look at the schedule the Kings faced in that stretch. Of their 17 wins, the Kings won eight of those games versus playoff teams. March was littered with statement wins over playoff teams and high-end ones at that. Can’t take away going into Vegas and scoring six goals or thoroughly dominating teams like Washington and Winnipeg. Due to circumstances outside of their control, recent wins over Edmonton (x2) and Colorado were not against full-strength squads. Beating Edmonton without Draisaitl and McDavid or Colorado without MacKinnon and Makar isn’t the game the Kings will get in the postseason, that’s for sure. You can’t dictate your opponent and the Kings beat the teams in front of them almost every night over the last six weeks. The road ahead will be much tougher, but I think that just comes with the territory of being in the playoffs.

As far as the regular-season finale, I’m not sure there’s anything to be taken from that game, right? The Kings looked like a team with eyes on Monday and it’s hard to blame them. By all accounts, everyone came out of that game as healthy as they went into it, with forwards Adrian Kempe, Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore all sitting out. Forward Quinton Byfield played after he left Monday’s win over Edmonton with an upper-body injury and looked like himself, hitting the post on a Grade-A chance from the slot and setting up Kevin Fiala for a one-timer that was met by a heck of a left-pad save from Calgary goaltender Dan Vladar. Joel Edmundson returned as well, logging 18:37 in a tune-up for Game 1, after missing five games with an upper-body injury of his own. Expecting all of those players to be available for Monday’s playoff opener.

That leaves only forward Tanner Jeannot, who is still out of action and has not yet practiced with the full group since he suffered a lower-body injury in late-March. Forward Jeff Malott has performed admirably coming up from the AHL to fill that spot and with Alex Turcotte also back and healthy, the fourth line has options at its disposal for sure, with an 11/7 alignment also a possibility in this series at some point as well.

Will get into that, though, in the coming days as we approach and ultimately see Game 1 played on the ice.

For today in Kings world, it’s a full team off day, which will be followed by practices on Saturday and Sunday at Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo. Players and coaches pointed to a rest day today as being important for a group that has worked and grinded over 82 games. A reset day, if you will, between the regular season and playoffs. Tomorrow is the first day of the postseason, as the Kings hit the ice for what will be that first practice opportunity. Hiller said that the Kings will dedicate practice time in two areas – specific preparation for Edmonton and things geared simply towards the Kings game. Both important, and with the series not starting until Monday, there’s an extra day to truly work on both.

Practice and series coverage to come tomorrow! Looking forward to getting back into it. Playoffs, baby, playoffs.