The Los Angeles Kings were the best team on home ice last season and entered this season with high expectations to take a step forward in the Western Conference. But, in the ten home games that they’ve played so far, the numbers at Crypto.com paint a far more troubling campaign. 

A 3-4-3 home record and an offense producing just 2.00 goals per game at home, which ranks 31st in the NHL, have raised legitimate questions about the Kings' troubles to score at home and find consistency. 

What Happened to the Home-Ice Bullies?

Home rinks are supposed to give the home team energy and momentum in front of some of the world's best crowds. But, for the Kings, the energy that’s supposed to be there playing in front of their fans has turned into a disaster. 

Look back just a season ago, when opponents who came into downtown L.A. were always in a battle against the Kings and rarely won. Fast-forward this fall, and it's the complete opposite.  

It’s not just their record at home; it’s also how, in those 10 home games, the Kings managed to score two goals or fewer in 7 of them, which shows a lack of finish and scoring droughts that have derailed their home performances. 

The King's home results show the highs and lows clearly, making them mediocre: 1, 2, 3, 3, 1, 3, 2, 1, 2, 2, those are their goals across ten home games. Aside from a pair of three-goal efforts and two narrow two-goal wins, the scoring has been inconsistent. 

Hockey rarely rewards inconsistency, and for the Kings, it’s come back to bite them in the standings. 

Slow Starts

Los Angeles hasn’t been blown out at home; instead, they’ve suffered repeated losses, including overtime or shootout losses. Their four regulation defeats at home include scores of 1-4, 2-4, 3-4, and 1-4, games in which they led early and then blew it in the final minutes of regulation. 

L.A. could easily have more home wins and points, but too many blown leads where it looks like they have the game under wraps end up evaporating before their eyes, and they lose tough losses like that almost every game, it feels like. 

Even in the three home wins they have, where they beat Winnipeg 3-0, Ottawa 2-1, and the Canucks recently 2-1, those games now feel like aberrations because performances like that rarely happen for the Kings when they play at home. 

When it does happen, everyone is surprised because it never does, so a win at home now feels like a Stanley Cup win. 

Kempe Delivers in Overtime as Kings Edge Canucks 2-1 Adrian Kempe's late heroics lift the Los Angeles Kings past the Vancouver Canucks in overtime.

Whats Next

The Kings are still in the playoff picture, sitting second place in the Pacific Division, just 2 points back from the Anaheim Ducks, so with all the struggles at home, they're still just two points back of the number 1 seed in the Pacific Division. 

Finding that spark could come from lineup adjustments or simply doing a better job at closing out games when they have a lead. Whatever the solution, the Kings must find it quickly. Home ice advantage is important for the playoffs, and the Kings have already let go of too many points off the table. 

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