The Los Angeles Kings are currently in first place in the Pacific Division, but their performance has been up and down for the past month.
At the start of the season, the Kings lost three out of their first four games. Since then, they’ve been inconsistent, never winning or losing more than two games in a row. If this trend continues, they might be due for a win when they play the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Wednesday night.
Los Angeles is coming off a 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday, starting a short two-game road trip. The Kings and Avalanche will meet for the first time this season, and for Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper, it will be a chance to face his old team.
Kuemper, who was part of the Colorado team that won the Stanley Cup in 2022, made 25 saves in the loss to Calgary.
The Kings weren’t happy with their performance against the Flames. Calgary scored twice in a 36-second span in the second period to take a 2-0 lead, and Los Angeles couldn’t score enough to catch up.
“It was just one of those games where we didn’t connect, we didn’t play well enough, we didn’t have the energy that you need,” said Kings captain Anze Kopitar. “We were playing catch-up for most of the game and still stayed in it until the end. Everything has to be better.”
Meanwhile, the Avalanche are coming off a 3-2 overtime win against the Nashville Predators on Monday, and have won their first two games of a four-game homestand, which will end on Friday. Colorado could have nearly all of its forwards back soon.
Jonathan Drouin, who has been out since the season opener with an upper-body injury, is close to returning, as is Miles Wood. Wood has missed the past six games with an upper-body injury, but both players were seen practicing in regular jerseys on Tuesday.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said he would check with the team trainers before making a final decision about their status. The team also sent forwards T.J. Tynan and Nikita Prishchepov down to the AHL, which could mean Drouin and Wood will be back in the lineup on Wednesday.
Valeri Nichushkin, who has been suspended since the spring, is eligible to return on Friday and is expected to play. He had been placed in the Player Assistance Program during the playoffs last season.
The only top-six forwards still injured for Colorado are Ross Colton (foot) and captain Gabriel Landeskog (knee).
Despite all these injuries, Colorado has managed to stay strong thanks to the performances of stars like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, who are among the top point leaders in the league. Makar’s defensive partner, Devon Toews, has struggled this season but coach Bednar said Toews is still performing well, even if he’s not fully healthy.
“(Toews) at 80 percent is still better than lots of other players in the league,” Bednar said.
