The Los Angeles Kings are battling it out in the Western Conference for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Los Angeles was once quite safe in the Pacific Division race, but have fallen on hard times as of late. Including Saturday's loss to the Buffalo Sabres, the Kings have lost 10 of their last 16 games. And they are on the outside looking in.
Tage Thompson and Sam Carrick found the back of the net for the Sabres on Sunday. Meanwhile, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 28 saves in the contest to help Buffalo skate to a 4-1 win. As a result, the Kings trail the Nashville Predators by one point for the final Wild Card berth in the West.
“We know where it’s at, you need points every night right now,” Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson said after the loss of the Wild Card race, via NHL.com. “I mean, everyone around us, we’re all in the same boat. So it’s scoreboard watching, but enough, you've got to do it yourself to get yourself in.”
The Kings swung a huge trade for Artemi Panarin before the NHL Trade Deadline to add more firepower to the roster. But the team's inconsistencies have cast a ton of doubt over their ability to make the playoffs. Los Angeles even fired head coach Jim Hiller shortly after the league returned to play from the Winter Olympics.
The Kings don't have a ton of time left to make up lost ground. They need to pull things together as soon as possible, or else they risk being left even further behind. Los Angeles's next chance to earn two points comes on Sunday night when they take on a direct rival in the Wild Card race, the Utah Mammoth.
