Kings Struggle Again, Suffer Sixth Loss in Seven Games Against Kraken
Kings Struggle Ahead of Christmas Break as Slump Deepens
The Los Angeles Kings are entering the NHL’s three-day Christmas break amid a troubling downturn, having lost six of their last seven games. Their latest setback came Tuesday with a 3-2 defeat to the Seattle Kraken at Crypto.com Arena, leaving the team with significant challenges ahead.
As they pause for the holiday, the Kings hold a record of 15-12-9 and will face the division-leading Ducks upon returning to play on Saturday. Just two days later, they will visit the Colorado Avalanche, currently the top team in the NHL.
"Sometimes it’s difficult to make sense of things," said head coach Jim Hiller regarding the team’s recent struggles, which have pushed them to the middle of the Pacific Division standings. "We just feel like we haven’t had a good run of games where we felt like, win or lose, we really like how we’re playing. That’s something that we’ll keep driving towards. We just haven’t had it yet."
The Kings’ woes extend beyond their loss column; the manner in which they are losing raises concerns. Entering Tuesday’s bout, the team ranked 31st out of 32 in scoring and on the power play, managing to score more than two goals in only two of their 11 games this month. Notably, their defense has been solid, allowing just 91 goals—the second-fewest in the league.
In an effort to revitalize the lineup, Hiller made adjustments before the game, notably pairing wingers Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko on a line centered by Alex Turcotte. While both players managed to score, their efforts fell short.
After a goalless first period, Seattle took the lead just 70 seconds into the second with Jordan Eberle’s 13th goal of the season. Following a series of poor defensive plays, including a misjudged shot that slipped through goaltender Pheonix Copley’s glove, the Kings found themselves down 3-0.
Fiala got Los Angeles on the scoreboard with an unassisted goal shortly after, and Kuzmenko added another, bringing the Kings within one. However, despite a late push, including a shot that clanged off the crossbar, they could not find the equalizer. Seattle’s goalie, Joey Daccord, stood firm, stopping 35 shots and enabling the Kraken to secure their second win over the Kings in just two weeks, marking their first three-game winning streak of the season.
