The Los Angeles Kings keep searching for answers at home, and Monday night offered more questions to panic about than solutions after losing to the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Los Angeles Kings' (15-11-9) struggles at Crypto.com Arena continued on Monday night, as they fell 3-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets (15-15-6), a loss that starts to get scary for a team that can't establish a consistent winning culture at home.
The defeat dropped Los Angeles to 4-7-4 at home, with just one home win in December, a Dec. 6 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks that feels increasingly distant. Nearly two weeks later, Los Angeles remains stuck searching for consistency, even against a Blue Jackets squad that sits last place in the Metropolitan Division and playing without its best player, Zach Werenski.
Special Teams Take the Game
If there was a big difference in tonights outcome, it came on special teams, and it wasn't close.
Columbus scored three power-play goals, the most the Blue Jackets have produced in a single game this season. It's not surprising that it came against the Kings' lackluster defense, which ranks 21st in the league.
The Kings, on the other hand, went 0-for-5 on the power play, continuing to struggle in that category, which has haunted them throughout December.
The Blue Jackets opened the scoring five minutes into the first period when Mason Marchment skated past two Kings and hit the puck on the left side of the net to give Columbus the 1-0 lead. And that was Marchman's only goal of the night, his second of the night game with just 24 seconds remaining in the first, giving the visitors a 2-0 cushion lead heading into the second.
Kings Offense Slacks
Los Angeles finally broke through late in the second period. With just under a minute remaining, Andrei Kuzmenko hit a very nice goal in the middle of the ice, striking the puck through traffic to get it to go. It was the only goal of the night for Los Angeles.
The goal looked like it would give the Kings momentum because it was such a big high leverage moment and tough goal that injected life into the building, but it was the exact opposite.
The statsheet shows that Columbus was clearly the better team tonight, outshooting the Kings, winning the faceoffs, and converting on 3 of 7 power plays.
Power-Play Goal Seals It
Any hope of a late comeback for the Kings went out the door in the third period.
Kirill Marchenko sealed the deal, giving Columbus a two-goal lead with another power-play strike. The goal silenced all fans sitting in the stands and continued a recurring theme for the Kings: they can't win at home this season.
December Frustration Grows
The Kings have now won just one home game in December; their inability to convert on the power play continues to bite them severely. Being out-executed and special-teamed by a depleted Columbus roster.
If the Kings can't beat the worst team in the Eastern Conference, which was missing their best player, they stand no chance of winning any team in the Western Conference in a playoff series. Los Angeles may not even make the playoffs if they keep performing the way it has this month.
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