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Was the Kings Road Trip a Success?
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- Was the Kings Road Trip a Success?
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Through the last five games, the Kings managed to steal three wins away from Los Angeles. Was this road trip a success or does it bring up the same flaws with the team?
During this five-game stretch, the Kings showed a fair share of improvements. Especially the goaltenders who played better than they did in the first 6 games.
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Darcy Kuemper recorded a .953 save percentage against the Islanders, which was his best game of the season. He also notched a .938 save percentage against the Capitals, which is tied for his second-highest rating.
Anton Forsberg also had an impressive showing in the two games he started. Forsberg recorded a .926 save percentage against the Blackhawks and a .920 save percentage against the Devils.
Both goaltenders had two games with a .920 save percentage or higher, which helped the defense drastically. The Kings had four games where they allowed 2 goals or fewer and only 1 game with 3 goals. The Kings allowed fewer goals in the five road games than their average 3.36 goals allowed per game.
Although Los Angeles had improved their goaltending, there were still issues the team displayed. The Kings showed the same struggles on offense and continued to generate limited shots on goal.
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In four of the previous five games, the Kings had fewer shots on goal than their opponents. The other game was against the Rangers where both teams had 26 shots on goal.
So far this season, the Kings have racked up a total of 297 shots in 11 games. This ranks as the sixth-lowest total number of shots in the entire league.
Lack of shots was evident as not once did the Kings record 30 shots on the road trip. The offense is still a question mark the Kings have to answer as they head back to Los Angeles.
While the limited shots on the net is still a concern, the road trip was still something to behold. The Kings actually racked up some wins, something that didn't happen through the first six games.
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Questions are still present about the offensive production but the Kings at least improved in protecting the net. As shown on this road trip, that can lead to winning hockey and building momentum.
Not only did the Kings break their win-less streak, but they had a winning record. The three wins showed that Los Angeles can rely on their goaltending.
Before these last five games, the Kings had no signs of hope on offense, defense or goaltending. After those five games, Los Angeles built up some wins and had stable goaltending. Therefore, the Kings showed some progression and had an overall successful road trip.
