The Los Angeles Kings' season can be described as a tale of two halves. While there are themes of aging stars and emerging young players, the focus here is on their overall record. They have a robust home record but a poor road performance, which is unusual for the Kings over the last half-decade. That aspect seems unlikely to improve as they head into the latter part of the season, especially with most of their remaining games being played at home.
This squad has been much better regarding their road/home splits in the last three years. To an extent, this has been a 'road warrior' type team, which carried a lukewarm home record at Figueroa. Canvas that into the fact that they've got a road split in their last three playoff series, and there's a cause for concern with their weak presence on the road come playoff time.
Twice in game one and once in game two did the Kings come out on top against their soon-to-be dispatchers. While that put them in an excellent position in the last three playoff series, it was a moot point to a flawed roster. Getting a split on the road in the playoffs is one of the key ingredients to a successful formula for winning a series in the playoffs.
Three overtime wins and one regular win represent the majority of the wins the Kings have achieved in the past three postseasons (4 out of 6). Only twice have the Kings won at home in the playoffs in the last three seasons, without a single victory last season.
This should be a significant concern for a team that still lacks the overall punch to get over their juggernaut foes out West this season, despite a winning record against playoff positioned teams this year. Back-to-back losses against a stellar team in Dallas and an in-the-hunt, desperate team in St. Louis certainly amplify the cause for concern. Add the fact that they were outscored 10-3, and the question certainly gets more poignant.
Reprisal and a return to a familiar grace could be landed against a lesser opponent in Chicago. Still, a familiar losing-themed road trip (1-2-0) would represent the vast majority of road trips the Kings have embarked on this season.
The Kings can surely get their licks in against the Blues, as they play them after Chicago in a succession of two games to finish their season series so tightly spaced. It's as if the luck of the draw schedule creation lined up the Blues and Kings to have a three-game late-season, mini-playoff-type duel. The last two games will be played in front of their home crowd, a place where they are the most dominant team in the entire league.
After their game against Chicago, they will have seven road games to finish the year: Vegas, Minnesota, Chicago, Colorado, Utah, Edmonton, and Seattle. Four teams are playoff teams, two of which stand in the way of a Pacific Division title. With these games on the docket, does a 12-16-5 road record finish the year on the positive side of things? I have my doubts, as it will depend entirely on whether the team chooses to upgrade. The rest of the road games listed are past the deadline.
These last seven road games should be seen as a seven-game series for the Kings, as based on their 19-3-3 record, they are highly likely to take care of business in front of their fellow Angelenos. Being on the winning side of those seven road games puts the Kings in an excellent position to finally have home ice in the playoffs. However, a dominant home record carries less weight if the team becomes a Pacific Division third seed for the fourth straight season but without a 'road warrior' work ethic having to face their past demons or even new one in golden form.
Going home down 0-2 in a series and relying on an excellent home presence is a poor choice to win four games out of the remaining five. Keep a vigil eye on the remaining seven home games, as it will speak volumes about the team's potential success or failure come playoff time.