With five games remaining in the regular season, the Los Angeles Kings find themselves in a precarious position battling to secure one of their biggest advantages, home ice. Though they’ve officially clinched a playoff spot, Monday night’s 2–1 loss to the Seattle Kraken at Crypto.com Arena was a sharp reminder that nothing is guaranteed in sports.
Currently second in the Pacific Division with a 44–24-9 record, the Kings sit six points behind the Vegas Golden Knights and four ahead of the Edmonton Oilers. If the playoffs began today, they would host a familiar foe in Edmonton, setting up what’s likely to be a pivotal first-round matchup. The Kings were eliminated by the Oilers in the opening round of the 2023–24 playoffs, marking the third straight year they’ve lost to Edmonton in the first round.
Securing home ice could be a game-changer. No playoff-bound team has a wider home-road performance gap than the Kings. At home, they’ve been exceptional, boasting a league-best 29-5 record among playoff teams. But away from Crypto.com Arena, it’s a different story. Their 15-19 road mark is the worst of any team heading to the postseason.
“Thursday’s game is important,” said head coach Jim Hiller, looking ahead to their upcoming matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. “We’ve had a pretty good home record. We just lost, so how are we going to respond to that? We didn’t have a great game, and we have to come back and be better on Thursday.”
Hiller wasn’t shy about pointing out his team’s shortcomings after the loss to Seattle. “The letdown for me was the second period,” he said. “We didn’t push at all. We didn’t forecheck.”
Injuries and absences played a part. Defensemen Drew Doughty (ankle) and Joel Edmundson (upper body) were both unavailable, while forward Adrian Kempe missed the third period due to a personal matter. “The players that didn’t play, we missed them,” Hiller acknowledged.
The road ahead remains tough. While a division title is still mathematically possible, the Kings’ more realistic and pressing goal is securing home ice for Round One. Given how dramatically different this team performs depending on the venue, that advantage could be the difference between a deep playoff run and another early exit making Thursday night’s home matchup against the Anaheim Ducks a must-win.
On Saturday the Kings play another home game against the Avalanche at 1 p.m. and their final home game of the regular season is Thursday, April 17, at 6:30 p.m. against the Flames.