The LA Kings are back in the air, heading from Los Angeles to St. Louis to kick off what could be the most pivotal stretch of their season - a six-game road trip that has the potential to define where this team stands in the playoff race, and maybe even who they are as a group.
Sound familiar? That’s because we’ve seen this before.
Back in October, the Kings were sitting at a shaky 1-3-2 record when they landed in Missouri. It was early, but things weren’t clicking.
Then came a gritty 2-1 overtime win against the Blues, the first stop on a five-game road swing that turned into a 4-0-1 statement. That trip helped stabilize things.
It didn’t fix everything, but it showed they had the fight.
Fast forward to now - same city, same opponent - but this time, the stakes are heavier. When the Kings take the ice against St.
Louis, it’ll be Game 50 of the season. By the time they wrap up this trip in Carolina, they’ll be at Game 55.
And when you factor in the two games back on the West Coast before the Olympic break, we’re looking at just 25 games left after that. The runway is shrinking fast.
Right now, the Kings are hovering in the middle - tied for the second wild-card spot, two points out of a top-three spot in the Pacific Division with a game in hand, and five points out of home-ice advantage in Round 1 with three games in hand. They’re also just five points clear of being in the mix for a top draft pick.
That’s how tight the margins are. One strong trip, and they could be pushing for the division lead.
One bad trip, and they’re staring at lottery odds.
That’s why this road stretch matters so much.
If the Kings finally catch the wave they’ve been chasing for the past two months, this could be the moment that breaks them out of the standings’ gray zone. Go out and snag nine or ten points on this trip, and suddenly, you’re not just hanging around - you’re making noise.
But if it goes the other way? If it’s another 2-2-2 stretch - which, let’s be honest, has been the trend - then this might just be the season we’re in for: one that drags all the way to Game 82, with every point feeling like a tug-of-war, and very little momentum to speak of.
That kind of season might be enough to sneak into the playoffs, but it won’t inspire much confidence once they get there. Last year’s optimism came from a team that caught fire down the stretch, winning 17 of their final 21 games.
That team looked like it belonged. The year before?
That group never really got out of neutral, and the playoff appearance felt more like a participation trophy than a legitimate shot at a run.
This year’s Kings were supposed to be past that stage. This was supposed to be a team that didn’t just make the playoffs - they were supposed to matter once they got there.
But so far, there’s been little to suggest they’re ready to take that next step. That’s why this trip looms so large.
Six games in nine days. Six chances to either rise or fall.
This isn’t the spot they wanted to be in at this point in the season, but it’s the one they’re in - and it’s also an opportunity.
So, how do you win six games at once?
You don’t. You start by beating the Blues tomorrow night. Then you move on to the next one.
It’s cliché, sure, but it’s also the reality. The players know what’s at stake here.
There was a clear sense in the locker room before the trip that the urgency has finally set in. They know they haven’t met expectations.
They know they’re running out of games to fix it. And they know that if they want to change the narrative, it starts now.
The Blues will be coming off a game in Dallas tonight before flying home to host the Kings. That’s the kind of scenario where, if you’re serious about being a playoff team, you go in and take care of business.
No excuses. No moral victories.
Just two points.
That’s what the Kings did against the Rangers - a team that’s already looking toward the future and shopping veterans. LA needed to win that one, and they did.
Now they need to bring that same mindset to St. Louis.
It’s not quite the same situation, but the challenge is similar: beat a team below you in the standings, on the second night of a back-to-back, and keep climbing.
There’s some good news on the health front, too. Anze Kopitar and Trevor Moore are both traveling with the team, and while it’s not clear if they’ll be ready to go tomorrow, they’re on the trip.
Drew Doughty and Darcy Kuemper, who missed time or exited early against the Rangers, are good to go. That means the Kings are close to having a full squad at their disposal - and that couldn’t come at a better time.
If you want to go on a run, this is when you do it. The math is simple.
The margin for error is thin. And the message is clear: start winning now, or risk watching the season slip away.