The Los Angeles Kings - For Real or a Mirage?

[SeanMoneyHands]

They are enjoying the luxuries from getting rid of Dubois.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

last year at this time they were 18-6-4 so they do tend to get off to hot starts
maybe no McLellan means they sustain it this year

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Honestly on paper they are barely a playoff team. Their best player is 60 year old Kopitar. Props to the coaching staff, what else can be said.

Matjaž?!?

 

[BigBrown]

They're in a great winning streak right now but I don't think they're a contender or one of the top teams in the west.

Like some have said, they had a similar start last season but could not sustain it. Once Kopitar starts his annual mid season slumber things will go south.

 

[Devil Dancer]

If Moore, Fiala, Danault and Byfield can get back to their normal production they could challenge for their first ever divisional title.

Wait what? The Kings have never won a division title??

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

A playoff team but nothing more

 

[Lt Dan]

The Kings are a total mirage. They are actually going to finish the season with negative points

 

[10YearsHaveGone]

LA is a good team, have been for a few years now. I think they get underrated because they Oilers have beat them 3 years in a row now in the postseason.

 

[CupofOil]

The Kings have always been a very good regular season, this is just more of the same after the last few years. They just need to play somebody other than the Oilers in the playoffs and even against the Oilers, those series have been wars. Always been an underrated team.

 

[Lt Dan]

Wait what? The Kings have never won a division title??

....

Oh no you don't

If Rob Blake or Luc Robitaille see this post it is going to reinforce their " we were right there" delusion.
Please delete it before it does irreparable damage

 

[rajuabju]

I believe we're overachieving. How long it will last, who knows. Hopefully until June, though I doubt it.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

The Kings have been a solid team the past few years, they just keep running into the one team that can overwhelm them.

Even last year in the playoffs outside of games 1 and 3 I don't think they played all that poorly in the series. They probably should've won game 4 and in game 5 I thought they were the better team for large stretches.

 

[Osprey]

I remember talking with my family about how good the Kings were when we got together on Christmas last year. They were in the exact same spot iirc; top 3 in the division and strong analytics. Then the wheels started to fall off shortly after for some reason.

I remember that my brother and I were talking about how hot they were when we got together for Christmas, then they lost just about every game that we were able to watch together. This happens almost every year. They start strong and the hockey world talks about them being contenders, then they fall apart in December and January and look like pretenders, then they look like contenders again to close out the season, only to lose in the first round again.

 

[AvStock]

Kuemper has been solid for them. Still wish he was on the Avs. He’s a huge reason for their current success

 

[SoundAndFury]

Kuemper has been solid for them. Still wish he was on the Avs. He’s a huge reason for their current success

They have won 8 out of their last 10 and he played in 2 of those games. Kuemper might be the best goalie they have got but all the evidence is there that Kings are winning with anyone in goal and goaltending isn't a major part of it.

Honestly on paper they are barely a playoff team. Their best player is 60 year old Kopitar. Props to the coaching staff, what else can be said.

It also means that they are full of young players that are just now making a name for themselves as opposed to old geezers whom people expect to be good like Nashville, Pittsburgh, Boston, or Rangers are experiencing. Washington is very similar story in the East in that regard.

 

[Lt Dan]

I remember my brother and I talking about how good they were when we got together for Christmas, then they lost just about every game that we were able to watch together. This happens almost every year. They start strong and the hockey world talks about them being contenders, then they fall apart in December and January and look like pretenders, then they look like contenders again to close out the season, only to lose in the first round again.

I think we know the kryptonite here
For the good of team, you need to go full reverse Philadelphia and not have any brotherly love

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

The Kings have always been a very good regular season, this is just more of the same after the last few years. They just need to play somebody other than the Oilers in the playoffs and even against the Oilers, those series have been wars. Always been an underrated team.

Wsn't Iafallo an Oilers killer? He's on the Jets now though.

 

[McHelpus]

Wsn't Iafallo an Oilers killer? He's on the Jets now though.

Ironically both iafallo and Vilardi would kill the Oilers

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Ironically both iafallo and Vilardi would kill the Oilers

Yeah, the Jets would be a bad matchup for the Oilers if they played in the post-season. I had a feeling that if the Jets somehow defeated Vegas in 2023, they'd have made it to the Cup Finals.

 

[GeeoffBrown]

I personally don't like the composition of this team or most of the trades they have made.

 

[PattyLafontaine]

Defintely cake

 

[BonMorrison]

The way Kings fans talk about their team, I always expect them to be at the bottom of the standings.

 

[unicornpig]

The way Kings fans talk about their team, I always expect them to be at the bottom of the standings.

self deprication is pre-requsite for being a kings fan.

 

[Captain Controversy]

We will find out when they play the oilers in the playoffs this year.

 

[Little Psycho]

It’s temporary but it has been surprising where they are in the standings without Doughty and their 99 goalie problems. It’s inevitable that they’ll crash back down. They are on a 6 game winning streak and the GDTs are barely active because us kings fans know what’s to come.