Winning on the road isn’t easy in the NHL, but don’t tell that to the Los Angeles Kings. They have made it look easy in the first couple months of the 2023-24 season, and that has them looking like a serious Stanley Cup threat.
Going into Tuesday night, the Kings were a perfect 9-0-0 on the road to start the year, but that record was in jeopardy after they fell behind 3-0 to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Then, a switch flipped, and Los Angeles scored three goals in the third period to tie the game before Drew Doughty won it in overtime.
That win tied the NHL record for the most consecutive road wins to start a season, which they can break in Montreal on Thursday, and they are starting to look invincible away from Crypto.com Arena. Most teams are more comfortable at home for a variety of reasons, but the Kings must be staying in some lavish hotels with top-of-the-line mattresses when they go out of town.
Los Angeles hasn’t just been beating teams on the road. It has been pummeling opponents, and last night was no exception. The Kings have put up some truly impressive numbers despite not having the benefit of the last line change.
|
NHL Rank |
||
|
Goal Differential |
+28 |
1st |
|
5-on-5 xG Share |
57.5% |
1st |
|
Power Play |
25.0% |
10th |
|
Penalty Kill |
87.5% |
4th |
On an individual level, five different Kings are averaging at least a point per game on the road. Goaltender Cam Talbot has been a human wall outside of Los Angeles, posting a 1.40 GAA and .951 save percentage in eight appearances.
In all fairness, the Kings are an excellent team no matter where they’re playing. Put them in L.A., in Boston, or on the moon, and they will win a lot of hockey games. That said, Los Angeles has a unique ability to pick up wins on the road, and that might very well prove to be extremely valuable in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The cliche that home ice matters in the playoffs doesn’t always hold true, and it definitely wasn’t the case in 2023. Last postseason, home teams went 41-47, and only four teams had a winning record in their own barn.
Being able to win on the road is even more important in the playoffs, and the Kings have it down to a science. The way things stand right now, it looks like Los Angeles will almost certainly have home-ice advantage for at least one playoff round. That’s a nice luxury, but it’s even nicer to know that if they do drop one at home, there will be no panic in their game when they go into a hostile environment for a must-win game.
They were unable to to that in Game 5 against the Oilers last season — and in Game 7 the year before that — but the Kings won’t lack any confidence in similar situations next spring.
