The Los Angeles Kings are now 4-2-4 over their last 10 games and are slowly slipping down the Pacific Division standings. The team suffered another overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night, which snapped a two-game winning streak. It has been a season of ups and downs for the veteran-led Kings, but taking five of a possible six points over their last three games shouldn't be a reason to panic. However, Joel Edmundson is still seeing some faults, according to Zach Dooley via X, formerly known as Twitter.
“At the end of the day, when you take seven minors, it's tough to win a hockey game,” Edmundson stated bluntly.
He isn't wrong in his assessment. The Kraken won 3-2 in overtime, with all three goals coming on the powerplay. Killing only four of seven penalties isn't the most excellent output for the penalty-killing unit, but being at a disadvantage for 14 minutes in a 60+ minute game isn't a recipe for success.
It doesn't help that the Kings rank 22nd in penalty killing percentage. If they're going to get into a penalty-filled game, their special teams will need to get much better. The Kings are also second-worst in powerplay percentage.
The Kraken quickly cashed in on their opportunities on Wednesday night, with the tying goal coming just 13 seconds after Anton Forsberg's tripping penalty, and the overtime winner coming 16 seconds after Adrian Kempe's slashing penalty. Another concerning aspect for the Kings is that the penalties came from their leaders, with goaltender Forsberg, Kempe, Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Kevin Fiala, Cody Ceci, and Warren Foegele all receiving minors.
While there isn't any reason to panic just yet for the Kings, their veterans will have to figure it out before things get too out of hand.
