by If general manager Rob Blake built the 2024-25 Los Angeles Kings with the idea that they could withstand the “uncomfortable” portions of a grueling regular season, then his theory is about to be put to rest. ‘test.
With 57 games left in their season, the Kings have the 7th toughest schedule in the NHL, according to Tankathon. They still have Winnipeg (x2), Dallas (x3), Vegas (x2), Carolina (x2) and the Edmonton Oilers (x4) to look forward to. Twice in January, they will play four games in six nights, capped by back-to-back tough road matchups (Winnipeg and Calgary, Florida and Tampa Bay).
Only six teams now have a tougher schedule than the Kings. The good news is that 3 of these teams are in the Pacific Division. The bad news is that these are all non-playoff teams (Anaheim, San Jose, Seattle).
Los Angeles’ 14-8-3 record is probably better than most experts predicted. Yet even the most optimistic Kings fan knows that December and January are historically linked to the low points of Los Angeles’ season. The most recent example – and probably the most painful – occurred 12 months ago, when the team won just 7 of 25 games between December 9 and January 31. They were 16-4-3 before this stretch and looked unbeatable most nights. It was gone in the blink of an eye, but fortunately for the team, this remarkable start to the season was enough to keep them afloat in the playoffs.
Yet the 2023-24 Kings never really recovered. Even after a coaching change, they could never completely shake off the stench of their 25-game collapse, including a stretch in which they lost eight straight games.
To further complicate matters, between November 22 and January 10 of last season, the Kings were 2-7-4 against teams with a record above .500 and 7-0-0 against teams with a record above .500. teams in the bottom nine of the NHL. The Kings have already lost games against San Jose (x2), Buffalo and Chicago this season
The obvious question is: Have the Kings done enough this season to survive another horrible winter, should it arrive with the same destructive intent?
Let’s assume that Rob Blake’s summer acquisitions are targeted for their character and leadership qualities. In that case, they might be better equipped to dig themselves out of any theoretical slump and not let a pothole turn into a crater as big as the one they found themselves in a year ago.
