Coming off three straight long postseasons, the Los Angeles Kings were inevitably set to fall prey to fatigue—both physical and mental—in 2014-15.
Even with that factor in mind, though, the defending Stanley Cup champions have underperformed thus far. L.A. sits in fourth in the Pacific Division and is clinging to the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot for dear life.
This team is better than that.
Head coach Darryl Sutter should claim a fair portion of the responsibility for the poor start, as his lineup and usage decisions have been dismal and will continue to plague the club until he puts his players in a position to thrive.
Kopitar-Carter Duo
Two of Los Angeles’ key contributors are mired in slumps at the moment, and it appears playing together has exacerbated the issue.
Over the past seven games, Anze Kopitar has mustered two points and a wretched minus-eight rating. Jeff Carter has posted two points and a minus-five rating in that span.
Pairing them on the same line h ...
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Article written by Vinh Cao