It's Panic Time for the Kings

LOS ANGELES — The Kings came out ice-cold and lost to the Flames, 3-2. Los Angeles has lost four straight games and are tied for the second-worst record in the NHL.

Nearly a quarter into the NHL season and the Kings have found themselves near the bottom of the standings. This loss to Calgary only added more concern to the troubles that Los Angeles is facing.

A sluggish first forty minutes were evident tonight, as Los Angeles trailed 1-0 after two periods. The Kings were in a deficit before the third period in every single loss during this four-game skid.

“The playing from behind is not where we want to be, you want to get the first one, you want to build on it from there, and we're not getting that done, Coach Laviolette said. “We found ourselves behind, you know, most of this home stand and then were chasing the game, trying to push from there.”

In those four losses, the Kings have been outscored 10-4 in the first two periods. The Kings, averaging one goal through the first forty minutes, did not keep pace with their opponents.

Falling behind in every game has come from the lack of offense for the Kings. Los Angeles has not scored more than two goals in any of the games through these four losses.

Lack of inside shots has been a major factor as to why the Kings have not been able to score. When Los Angeles is taking shots mostly from the perimeter, it’s easier for the opposing goaltenders to stop.

Hence, every goaltender has recorded higher than a .920 save percentage against the Kings through these four games. Goaltenders have less to worry about since the Kings aren’t taking shots in front of the net.

“We’ve had looks, we got to capitalize and next thing you know, five minutes later, then five minutes later, we keep saying it's coming, be positive, and it hadn’t really came, said Brandt Clarke. “It's not from a lack of effort, it's not from a lack of positivity, it's not from a lack of wanting each other to succeed, its just not going in the net and its unfortunate”.

Offensive struggles have been the main culprit for the four consecutive losses, but that has to change. The offense must find its rhythm during this five-game road trip to turn this season around.

“I think it's a great group of guys, we're all super close as well, but just being able to get on the road, kind of get a little closer, be with each other a lot more. You know, translate that over to the ice,” said Quinton Byfield. “I think the road trip is good and much needed right now, and we got to get back on track.”

The last road trip for the Kings was semi-successful. Los Angeles recorded six points during a five-game stand in October. However, the Kings will need to be even better on this road trip if they want to make up ground.

Very little room for error is left for the Kings, and they must string together some goals on this road trip. If the Kings continue their losing ways, then the playoffs will start to look unlikely for this team.

The panic button has been hit after this loss to the Flames. The question is if the Kings can respond on the road now.