In a tight Pacific Division, the worst thing a team could do is get off to a slow start. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Kings have done just that and have looked bad and downright flat on defense. The team has struggled to a 1-2-1 record through four games, and many things have gone wrong out of the gate. While much of the season still has to be played, are the Kings digging themselves a hole early?
One of the things they have struggled with mightily has been thee penalty kill, which is 26th in the league and is operating at a woeful 68.2%. Too many opposing players are being left open, too many rebounds, and too many second chances. Too many times an opposing player has skated untouched into a great scoring position. Too many missed assignments. This is a team that used to pride itself on defensive play and so far they are the complete opposite. Plenty of time to fix this issue but it has to be soon as they have looked terrible. This is one reason why Los Angeles has given up 15 goals early in the season.
The goaltending has also struggled. Starter Darcy Kuemper, last season’s Vezina Trophy finalist, has been average to say the least. This season, he is 0-2-1 with 3.35 goals against average and an .868 save percentage. Backup, and newcomer, Anton Forsberg is 1-0 but is sporting 4.66 goals against average (5th worst) and an .867 save percentage (11th worst). The poor goaltending play reflects on how bad the defense has been as both netminders are better than this.
While the main offensive players like Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe are their usual selves, players like Trevor Moore and Alex Turcotte have struggled offensively and both have one assist each. Moore is likely to pick up the scoring sooner than later but Turcotte may be in a bind as he has been playing on the fourth line. Only a bump in the lineup can help his offensive production.
Los Angeles, along with the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers, are expected to be the top three teams in the Pacific Division. However, Los Angeles has not looked good and has allowed teams below them to jump ahead of them early. It is unknown if it is coaching or players struggling to find their feet early but it needs to be fixed before they are in a hole they cannot dig themselves out of. Much was expected of the Kings entering this season but if the defense cannot be fixed we may be in for a long season Kings fans.
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