On paper, this is a team that should be taking a clear step into a new era: Anže Kopitar is nearing retirement after a successful career, Brandt Clarke and Quinton Byfield are emerging, and the front office has invested heavily in a core that's supposed to push them forward.
Entering Monday's NHL action, the Los Angeles Kings were fourth in the NHL in goals against per game (2.74), tied for eighth in save percentage (.904), ninth in shots against (1,356), and third in goals against (137). While the Kings are struggling to score goals (Los Angeles is 28th in goals for per game), they are getting good performances from their goaltending and their defence.
"I don't know that I have an answer to that to be honest, because if I did, I don't think we would keep being in the same situation every game," Warren Foegele said when asked what's missing right now. "At the end of the day, we didn't get the job done, we didn't get the two points, and it's just not good enough."
It is really frustrating when you come out on the bottom of all these games where I feel like we're playing well and we're playing good enough to win,
I don't think anybody's pretty happy about a narrative being spread like that. I think it's okay for people to critique our on-ice performance, but when it gets into family, it's pretty f****** b***s***.
Just over half of the 2025-26 season has been completed, and the Los Angeles Kings are sporting an 18-14-10 record with 46 points, good enough for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Looking at that from an outside lens, most would come to the conclusion that sitting in a wild card spot at the halfway mark of the season is a positive sign and one that would equate to a successful season if the trend continued.
The Los Angeles Kings are entering a pivotal week as they look to correct a mediocre first half of the 2025-26 season. Sitting with a record of 16-12-9, the team is battling offensive inconsistency and swirling trade rumors as they prepare to face one of the league's top teams, the Colorado Avalanche, tonight. On Dec. 19 the Kings traded forward Phillip Danault to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a second-round 2026 pick.
The Los Angeles Kings' 2025-26 season is shaping up to be run-of-the-mill. The team has amassed 39 points in 34 games played. While the number doesn't seem too shabby three months in, the Kings could use plenty of improvement in certain areas. Their messy style of play consists of mistakes that cost the team games they should be winning. Additionally, they could use more chemistry and grittiness in their forward group. Let's take a deeper look at where they have struggled this season.
Kings projected lineup Alex Laferriere - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield - Joel Armia Warren Foegele - Phillip Danault - Trevor Moore Andrei Kuzmenko - Alex Turcotte - Corey Perry Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci Darcy Kuemper Anton Forsberg Jeff Malott, Samuel Helenius, Jacob Moverare Status report The Kings are expected to dress the same 18 skaters from their 6-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.
Capitalizing on a Blackhawks turnover early in the second period, the Kings opened the scoring. Trevor Moore picked up the puck on the halfwall before dishing one cross-ice to Warren Foegele, who unloaded on the five-hole on Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight. The only two players who recorded a point on Thursday night against the Blackhawks. Halfway through the second, Foegele came inches away from his second of the game, being robbed by Knight on a 2-on-0 shorthanded chance with Quinton Byfield.
What transformed into one of the most dangerous aspects of the Los Angeles Kings' offense after last season's trade deadline, and even propelled them to a two-game series lead over the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, has fallen completely off the rails. The five-forward power play unit was first introduced after the acquisition of Andrei Kuzmenko.
Coming into the 2025-26 season, there was no doubt that this version of the Los Angeles Kings would be different from last season. With the shake-up of the defensive group, most expected a dip in play on the back end, while bringing back the entire top nine was expected to aid an improvement in offensive production, given that the Kings were second in goals per game after the trade deadline last season.
On the 2-1 marker, the Kings enjoyed an extended 6-5 man advantage following a delayed penalty on Zachary Bolduc. Tiring out the home side, the Kings finally struck when Quinton Byfield pounced on a rebound to beat goalie Sam Montembeault. Of note, Byfield by all appearances waved goodbye to the home crowd as a celly. While it may have pissed off Canadiens fans, the gesture undeniably fit based on the Habs' response or lack thereof.
