The Los Angeles Kings have really turned things around this past week. Despite playing on the road for five straight games, the team mustered up a 4-0-1 record.

Los Angeles took nine points from a possible 10, climbing in the standings, and in the latest edition of The Hockey News’ power rankings by Jason Chen.

Following this road trip, with their last contest coming against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday during the NHL’s Frozen Frenzy, the Kings have found themselves in the top three of the Pacific Division.

They have 13 points in 11 games and are just two points off equaling the Vegas Golden Knights, who lead the division. 

In addition to an important ascent in the NHL standings, they’ve also climbed up THN’s power rankings. 

In last week’s edition, Los Angeles were placed in 27th place, just five off the bottom of the league. It truly wasn’t looking good for the organization as they had a 2-3-2 record at the time.

Now, the Kings are 5-3-3 and have moved up to 19th place in Chen’s power rankings.

He described the Kings’ recent performances as “low-event hockey.”

“The Kings will keep trying to grind out wins, and I don’t think it’s any coincidence that they’re winning with Anze Koptiar back in the lineup,” Chen wrote.

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It’s true, Kopitar's return has been a huge help. Since his return against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, it seems like the Kings’ captain hasn’t missed a beat.

Along with Kopitar, goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been lights out since returning from his injury. 

He’s made four starts since being cleared to play from his lower-body injury, making his return against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 21. In those four contests, he registered a .912 save percentage.

In terms of the team as a whole, their last two wins, against the Chicago Blackhawks and Sharks, were great examples of grind-out wins. 

In fact, when Los Angeles faced San Jose, they recorded just 14 shots on goal to their opposition’s 40, yet they were the ones to get the two points.

The Kings have certainly improved since the start of this season and earned an eight-spot jump in the power rankings.

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