The Los Angeles Kings have yet to win a game in 2024 and have lost five consecutive games dating back to Dec. 28. Part of their demise has to do with the loss of goaltender Pheonix Copley who went down with a knee injury in mid-December.

The Kings confirmed that Copley's season was over on Saturday, announcing that the 31-year-old goalie recently had ACL surgery. Copley wasn’t playing inspiring hockey but the Kings have been forced to play Cam Talbot and David Rittich more, both of which seem to have lost their edge as of late.

Copley started eight games this season, winning half of them. He allowed 15 goals across his first four games then recorded a shutout and let only four past him over his next three. His final start was on Dec. 10 when the Rangers scored four goals in a 4-1 Kings loss.

Copley played an integral part in the Kings making a surprise run to the playoffs last season. He won 24 of his 35 starts, posting a .903 save percentage and a 2.64 goals against average.

The Kings allowed 17 goals during this five-game losing streak. Despite that, the Kings have allowed the least goals of any team so far this season, an average of 2.52 per game. Cam Talbot also earned his second All-Star selection.

Despite their current form, the Kings are still five points clear of a playoff spot and hold the third seed in the Pacific Division. LA would be wise to turn things around sooner rather than later as the Edmonton Oilers and Seattle Kraken are gaining steam behind them. Both teams have current winning streaks of seven and six games, respectively.