Los Angeles Kings Learn Valuable Lesson the Hard Way in Loss to Kraken
By Jim Lynch
The Los Angeles Kings haven’t had a lot of losses like the one they had on Monday night at home against the Kraken. After beating the Kraken at home on Saturday 4-2, it looked like the Kings were destined to pick up another two points before heading to Edmonton for a challenging game on Wednesday.
The Kings didn’t get their way as they fell behind early and eventually lost touch to the entire game on Monday. This was a valuable lesson for the Kings to understand that all that matters is that next game. When the standings get close and the season comes to an end it definitely might be easier to look at the bigger picture, and no one can fault the young Kings team for falling behind to the Kraken on Monday.
This Kings roster is young; the roster includes guys like Adrian Kempe, Trevor Morre, and Blake Lizotte, all players under the age of 27. Still, there is more youth than just that when you think about Tobias Bjornfot, Quinton Byfield, and Michael Anderson. This Kings team still has a lot of youth and building to do. This is their first year back from a rebuild – and that doesn’t mean they are all in on a championship. Instead, this is a time to continue to gain experience and build the roster for next season.
That doesn’t mean the Kings can’t make some noise this May. The way the standings are shaking up, there is a strong chance the Kings could meet with the Edmonton Oilers in round one. That might be the most intriguing first-round matchup as neither team is built for success this season.
The Kings could get past Edmonton due to how poor they have been at five-on-five success and an overreliance on power plays. However, getting out of the first round would be a significant first step for the Kings, considering where they have been in years past competing for the draft lottery.
The Kings didn’t lose much in the standings with their loss to the Kraken. They are two points up on the Oilers, but the Oilers have a game in hand. The two teams will face off on Wednesday for the second to last time this regular season.
This is also an excellent time to remind everyone that the Seattle Kraken might not be a top team right now, but they are a team fans should get behind on their way to becoming a championship team. Now is as good of a time as ever to become a Kraken fan and join our team at Kraken Chronicle, who are looking for Paid Contributors!