After a Freeway Flop against the Ducks at Honda Center, the Kings got back in the saddle as they prepared to welcome the Calgary Flames on Thursday.
The confines of Crypto.com Arena have been much friendlier after the Kings returned from their extended All-Star break Feb. 10. Since that point, they’ve had the best home record in the NHL while placing in the bottom third of the league on the road. That’s an about face from their first 48 games, which they started with an NHL record 11 consecutive away wins en route to the fifth-best road mark in the league but a meager No. 27 ranking at home.
On Thursday, they’ll either already be in the playoffs by virtue of the St. Louis Blues losing in regulation to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday or they could have a second opportunity to clinch a berth with a victory, as they did against the Ducks on Tuesday when they faltered in a 3-1 loss.
“Clinching a playoff spot is always difficult, especially if it comes down to the last four or five games of the year, but we’ll have to get it done next game,” the Kings’ Blake Lizotte said afterward.
When asked if there was “reason to be concerned going into the playoffs” playing inconsistently – the Kings lost three contests, including a hapless effort in Calgary, then won three before falling to one of hockey’s three worst teams by record – their interim coach Jim Hiller responded, “No. No, no.’
The adjustments for the next game would be “pretty simple,” he asserted. Hiller also offered an elongated version of the aphorism “we have to get pucks deep.”
“We have to get the puck behind them, when we did, we had success. When we didn’t, they scored two goals and also pushed us back,” Hiller said. “So, that’s a pretty easy fix, it’s just understanding and having the will to do it over and over again.”
The Kings had similar issues in a March 30 match in Calgary where the Flames, a team that feeds off turnovers and rush chances, ate…
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