Angeles Analysis – During the break

Honestly, it’s a mystery to me that we’ve reached the holidays. This makes no sense at all, but the season that opened in Buffalo feels simultaneously two weeks and five months ago. This game feels completely out of place this season. It also feels like we just canceled training camp. It’s hard to describe, but I would say the start of the season went by exponentially quickly.

This past trip was certainly the most grueling the Kings have had to date.

3-2-2 on the move. The Kings had the same record in their first seven games this season, all of which also took place on the road. In total, the Kings have now played 21 away games, the most in the NHL this season.

However, I don’t think the two seven-game trips are really comparable, despite the same length and the same record.

For starters, the season-opening trip actually consisted of five games, followed by one-off trips to Las Vegas and Anaheim. The Kings played five games on the East Coast after playing two preseason games in Quebec City, then visited Vegas and Anaheim for customary one-game trips. That trip here in December included seven straight games, all on the East Coast, all in different cities.

I think the 3-2-2 records were also very different.

In October, the Kings lost 6-2 in Toronto and 6-1 in Vegas. No competitive games. They won against Buffalo, Montreal and Anaheim and the only really convincing win was against the Canadiens. Buffalo was a masterclass from Darcy Kuemper. Anaheim was pretty solid, but it was a 0-0 game in the third period.

This trip here? 3-2-2 is probably the lowest it could have been. After yesterday’s loss in Washington, I personally thought the Kings played really well. On the first goal conceded, Alex Turcotte broke his bat while trying to clear the ball. One pass later, goal. The second time, Warren Foegele had a clean ball in the penalty shootout until he hit an official and fell to the ground right in the attacking zone. Seconds later the goal. I thought the Kings were the better team in this game, which couldn’t be said in any of their four losses in the season opener, in overtime or in regulation.

All in all, last week’s regulation loss in New Jersey was a competitive game, even if the Kings were arguably outplayed overall. The overtime losses in Pittsburgh and Nashville were consistent in that the Kings had big stretches but didn’t play 60 minutes. Two points from those games were probably deserved, even if the Kings had clear chances for more. The win over the Rangers was dominant and the Kings never really felt threatened against the Islanders before pulling away from the Flyers on Thursday.

I think all this means is that not every 3-2-2 is constructed the same. The 3-2-2 mark to open the season was probably a better record than the Kings’. I think the Kings surpassed their record on this trip here. They also did so under far more difficult circumstances. In many ways, the Capitals game was a planned loss. Second half of a back-to-back race that also marked the end of a 3-in-4, a 4-in-6 and a 15-day journey. A lot of travel between the Kings could have happened. Instead, despite losing, they played perhaps their best game of the trip.

Washington leads the NHL in points and I thought the Kings outscored them in the final 40 minutes and throughout the game. They didn’t get the reward, but Jim Hiller said it might have been the proudest he’s seen of his team so far this season. He expressed his great excitement. He knew it was a challenge, but he also knew his team would overcome it. At the end of this journey, with five days off to face his team, I would also be proud to achieve such a feat. I don’t think that kind of confidence would have been exuded in October. It certainly is now.

Coming into the holiday break, the Kings have nine games over .500, 43 points and are 19-10-5. Last season, at the same time, the Kings had 42 points with 19 wins and three fewer games played. Last season, the Kings were seven points off the Pacific Division lead. This season the number is just four points.

I don’t know, but for me the dynamic feels different this year. The Kings started last season 16-4-4. From that point on they were tied 3-3 at the break and we all know what happened next. This season it feels like the Kings are moving up. This season’s Kings did not have a three-game winning streak until their final three games in November. From that point on, the Kings went into halftime 8-2-2. That’s not to say every game was perfect, but they played three separate games against the NHL’s best team by points percentage, winning twice and outscoring their opponent all three times. There is a lot to be said about this. The Kings played six of those games against teams currently in the playoff spots on points and went 4-2. It feels like the team is on an upward trend this season after a mediocre start. Last season’s team felt like they were getting back on the field after an outstanding season.

Now it’s a well-deserved break. This trip pushed many players to their limits and everyone will deserve to spend the next four days away from the rink with family and friends in various locations across the country. Then it’s back on the ice on Friday before a big division game against Edmonton on Saturday.

The Kings are coming off the break having played five straight home games, their longest homestand of the season and their second-longest overall game of the season. Opponents include Edmonton and Calgary, division rivals currently in playoff spots, and New Jersey and Tampa Bay, both currently in playoff spots in the East. A home record of 10-2-1 will be put to the test against quality competition. The Kings will take their time off, recharge their batteries and hopefully get going again, because points will be just as important then as they were at the start of the break.

I don’t know, insiders. I feel pretty good about the team at the moment. Maybe the 3-1 defeat away from home is too good a feeling. Maybe it was the broadcast of the game and the resulting excitement. Maybe it’s just the upcoming break to spend the holidays with the family for the first time since 2019. With this team you just feel different at the moment than you did a month ago. A few days break to evaluate and then get right back to it.