The defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings are in peril of missing the playoffs for reasons that include inconsistent scoring and a lack of defensive depth that has caused goaltender Jonathan Quick to face higher quality shots in goal.
But beyond that, there is also the wear and tear of three consecutive seasons that ended with two Stanley Cups and a Western Conference Final berth. Add in the compressed schedule of the lockout season of 2013 and the Olympic year of 2014, and the questions as to what is wrong with the Kings begin to get answered.
Olympic Sized Rip-off
While the media loves to gush about how great the Olympics are for the NHL, a deeper look reveals what a rip-off it is to NHL fans. The Kings are a perfect example. Not only did Kings stars such as centers Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter, defenseman Drew Doughty, and goaltender Jonathan Quick, compete in those aforementioned playoff runs, they also competed in the 2014 Olympics.
The Olympics cost the NHL three prime weeks of games last year and forced the league to compress the schedule and cram more games into less time. All that does is make for a lesser quality of hockey and add to the deterioration of star players. Fans and TV partners that pay huge prices for NHL games are ripped off as a result.
The toll of so many hockey games over the past four years is a big reason why the Kings could possibly miss the playoffs. The Kings make for a great example of why the NHL should NOT be involved in the Olympics.
The Thin Blue Line
The Kings have long been celebrated as the best shutdown team in the NHL and much of that was based on a deep defensive corps that was among the best in the game. During the 2014-15 season, that blue line has been basically cut in half. Willie Mitchell is now captain of the Florida Panthers, Slava Voynov is suspended indefinitely due to domestic violence charges, while Stanley Cup hero Alec Martinez, and stay at home rearguard Rockin ‘ Robyn Regehr, have missed several games due to injuries based in large part due to increased playing time in having to fill the gaps. It has added up to put the Kings into peril for a post season bid.
Down the Stretch
The Kings host Colorado on Saturday before a do or die road trip at Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. That is followed by a dangerous season finale at home against San Jose. The Sharks would love nothing more than to eliminate the Kings team that rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat them in the playoffs last year.
