The Los Angeles Kings continue to climb in The Hockey News' power rankings. The surge toward the top five is all thanks to the team's ability to defend as a unit, respectable goaltending, and road dominance.
It’s been a great week-and-a-half for the Los Angeles Kings, and that has been recognized in the latest power rankings by The Hockey News’ Jason Chen.
In a league with unmatched parity, especially this season, the Kings find themselves in a great spot. Even GM Ken Holland said so himself.
“The league is really tight, we’re in the thick of the race,” Holland told reporters as they reached the quarter-mark on the campaign.
The Kings have won four of their last five road games, with their latest result being a 2-1 defeat to the Washington Capitals. And while Los Angeles’ next game against the San Jose Sharks is on the road to complete the road trip, the team returned home after spending over a week on the East Coast.
Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe (Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images)It’s clear that the Kings have played well on the road, much better than their 1-4-2 home record at Crypto.com Arena.
In these weekly power rankings by The Hockey News, the Kings earned a small bump from seventh place last week to sixth place. The team continues to push for a top-five place in the rankings.
“Pretty impressive stretch in their road trip so far, going 4-1-0 with some really close wins thanks to solid goaltending,” Chen wrote of the Kings. “When the Kings defend like they do – even without Drew Doughty – and get goaltending like that, they’re hard to beat.”
The team will indeed be without No. 1 defenseman, Drew Doughty, as he suffered a lower-body injury against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Holland shared on Wednesday that the 35-year-old blueliner will be out for “two-to-three weeks.”
It’s certainly a big loss for the Kings. But in his absence, they’ll look to continue holding down the fort defensively. As Chen alluded to, they’ve been solid between the pipes with Darcy Kuemper pushing for a spot on Team Canada, and even Anton Forsberg chipping in with a shutout in his last appearance.
Not to mention, head coach Jim Hiller made some changes to his lineup, constructing a top-heavy roster consisting of a top line of Kevin Fiala, Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe.
Kevin Fiala and Quinton Byfield (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)If this nuclear offense philosophy works, in tandem with the Kings’ goaltending and defensive system, there’s no reason Hiller’s side can’t continue to string wins together.
Back to the rankings, the Kings stand between seventh-place Tampa Bay Lightning and state-rivals Anaheim Ducks in fifth, who lead the Pacific Division.
The Kings get a crack at the Ducks on Nov. 28, which will be a massive contest for both teams relating to where they stand in the standings, and that rivalry, of course.
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