The Los Angeles Kings have tied the NHL record for most consecutive road wins to start the season – and they can set a new mark with a victory in Montreal.
The Los Angeles Kings have tied the NHL record for most consecutive road wins to start the season – and they can set a new mark with a victory in Montreal.
The Los Angeles Kings have been quietly dominating on the road this season with 10 straight wins on enemy turf, with No. 10 being an exciting 4-3 comeback win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.
The victory tied the all-time record for road wins to start a season with the 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres, who rode their winning ways all the way into the Eastern Conference final before being bested by Daniel Alfredsson’s Ottawa Senators. The Kings can stand alone with a new record on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Kings’ key to success so far has been their red-hot group of top-six forwards, all of whom are producing, with five averaging at least a point per game on the road. Trevor Moore leads the way with seven goals and 15 points in the team's 10 road wins.
L.A.’s subtle rebuild since their two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014 may finally be turning into fruition, with the Kings’ offense ranking second in goals per game this season despite its lack of big-name talent beyond team captain Anze Kopitar. This marks an improvement over last season when the Kings finished 10th in this category, and it’s a huge jump from their 20th-place finish in 2021-22.
And Los Angeles hasn’t just rebuilt its offense. The defense is excelling as well, ranking first in goals against per game (2.32), which looks far better than finishing 16th last season. Young blueliners Mikey Anderson and Jordan Spence have put up impressive numbers to start the season, with Spence having a better plus/minus rating than his fellow 2019 D-man draftee, Mortiz Seider of the Detroit Red Wings.
The Kings’ biggest concern last season was their goaltending, which proved to be a factor in the playoffs as they were outscored 25-20 in a high-scoring first-round loss to the Oilers.
This season, the starting netminder is much better to start, with 36-year-old Cam Talbot shutting the door on opponents with a sparkling 8-0-0 road record with a 1.40 goals-against average and .951 save percentage. His overall record is also above average, with an 11-4-1 record, 1.96 goals-against average and .930 save percentage. Backup Pheonix Copley's 3.03 GAA and .873 save percentage aren't as good as last season, but he still has a respectable 4-0-2 record.
Talbot is projected to suit up on the road against the Habs in Montreal on Thursday night, where his squad has a chance at history. This could be a great matchup for the Kings as they’ve beaten the Habs in four of their last five trips to the Bell Centre and have won five straight in this matchup overall.
The Habs will look to be spoilers, but they’ll have a tough time as they have a 2-6-1 record this season against defenses ranking in the top 10 in goals against per game. They also have five straight losses under these circumstances, one of which was to the Kings, where they lost 4-0 in L.A.
With an impressive record like 10 straight wins on the road to start the season and all the pieces falling into place after a long rebuild, the Kings could be primed to make a deep playoff run. Perhaps they could even bring the Cup back to California for the third time in 12 years.