At 23-3-4 at home this season, the Los Angeles Kings are the best team in that regard. However, at 13-17-2 on the road, many teams are operating at and above .500.
In fact, the Kings have the worst road record amongst playoff-positioned teams. Only the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference have less than a .500 winning percentage on the road (14-15-3). If my recent playoff hockey memory serves me correctly, it has burned them in recent years.
It's not something that consistently turns over year to year going into the playoffs; for the most part, being a good home team in the regular season amounts to a whole lot of nothing come playoff time. It's just an entirely different ball game. Even if it's a decade ago, does anyone recall the Kings-Blues series from 2012?
The best home team in the league was swept at home. These things happen.
Best records at home through the first 30 home games in the last 10 seasons
— Blake Warye (@bwaryeofblake) March 16, 2025
25-2-3 by 2022-23 Bruins
24-3-3 by 2021-22 Avalanche (won cup)
24-3-3 by 2016-17 Penguins (won cup)
23-3-4 by 2024-25 Kings@KingsMenPodcast@mayorNHL@LAKingsPR
Outliers aside, the Kings have a massive opportunity to return to a 'road warrior' mentality, a moniker of past Kings teams. There are six games left on the road, and if their record and play at home stand for anything, it shows they can operate at a .600+ winning percentage the rest of the way, barring anything drastic. These six games, however, are much-needed wins for a team that has a flair for toppling high-end competition but will also squeak out points or get cut down by the league's lower half. It's been done particularly while on the road.
The Kings have lost on the road nine times being outscored by three goals or more. A little over two weeks ago, the Chicago Blackhawks, a lottery team being built around Connor Bedard, dismantled the Kings 5-1 in their barn. A week later, on the second half of a back-to-back? They beat the Pacific Division Golden Knights 6-5 in a game where it should not have been that close. Where does this context position the Kings, who will play an excellent team in Minnesota and the same Chicago team that embarrassed this squad over two weeks ago on this quick road trip?
What team will show up for either game is that of suspect. Will the Kings that beat the league-leading Washington Capitals 3-0 and the Knights 6-5 come to play? Or is it the Kings that snoozed for 50 minutes against the Predators?
Is this a coaching issue, a leadership issue, personnel? A questioning attitude is an aspect of the game, just like it is in life. All of that vanishes with wins. Wins matter--that should probably be written down a few times. Just like the recent game against Nashville, or even the poor performance against the Islanders, wins erase all of the pessimistic language that could be used to describe either game. Live and you learn right?
It brings me back to these six games left. What have the Kings learned?
The lesson is simple: The Kings will absolutely need to take advantage of these games, as they are burgeoning with first place in the division, jockeying with Edmonton back and forth for second while Vegas finds itself scrambling to put grease on the wheels. Wins on the road while safeguarding their dominance at home could be the formula that unlocks home-ice and even, a first ever Pacific Division title.
Kings will have 2 games in hand on both teams by the end of the day. If you told me in September that this LA roster would have a viable shot at the division title, I may have reported you for harmful content. https://t.co/Um87XzULC8
— The Bannermen (@TheBannermenPod) March 16, 2025
The Kings' home record is strong and won't be going anywhere anytime soon. The team will, in fact, have the opportunity to expand its home excellence even further.
But taking care of business on the road for the rest of the season could be a key factor in building up the potential for this Kings team to finally do something they haven't done in a long time: damage in the playoffs.