The Los Angeles Kings are the defending Stanley Cup champions, but so far they have struggled to play consistent winning hockey during the lockout-shortened schedule.
The team will have a chance to put together its best run of the season, going for its fourth win in five games on Wednesday night on the road against the Calgary Flames in Canada. The Flames have struggled when trying to get back-to-back wins this season, including on Monday night when the team lost 4-0 at Phoenix that marked its first shutout of the season.
"You can't expect to work one game and take one night off after and think you're going to become a playoff team," said first-year coach Bob Hartley to the Associated Press. "No one cares about us. There's 30 teams and you have to make your own nest."
The Flames have struggled on offense for most of the season, especially in games following a win, scoring just three goals in the past three games in that situation. The Flames were much better on Sunday in Dallas, as they overcame a two-goal deficit in the third period to snag a 4-3 victory.
The Kings and Flames played four times last season, with the road team winning each game, giving Los Angeles the advantage on Wednesday. Calgary had a hard time scoring against Jonathan Quick, netting just three goals in those contests. Quick hit a rough patch after losing three straight starts, but he rebounded with a 3-1 win against Edmonton on Tuesday.
The Kings played the Oilers tight until the end and took the lead on a Jeff Carter deflection of a shot by Trevor Lewis with less than one minute in regulation. Lewis had two assists for his first points of the year, while Jarret Stoll scored an empty net goal at the end of the game.
"I think we played a pretty solid road game tonight," said Lewis. "... We gotta keep this going and get in the playoff hunt."
The Kings have slowly started to move up the standings in the Western Conference, passing by the Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames. The Kings have been excellent on the road against Calgary, winning three straight games. After heading to Canada, Los Angeles will head back home for eight of nine home games, including back-to-back matchups against the Flames in March.
Calgary has been dealing with issues in goal all season, as starter Miikka Kiprusoff has been out with a knee injury, leaving Danny Taylor as the primary goalie. Taylor proved to be excellent on Monday in his first NHL start, making 33 saves in the first start since his NHL debut in 2008. Taylor was previously a seventh-round pick by the Kings.
"I feel like I can play this game at the NHL level, it's just a matter of staying focused for 60 minutes," said Taylor. "If I'm not in the moment all the time, it doesn't matter how good you are, you're not going to play in this league."
The Kings haven't been great statistics-wise this season, ranking 26th in goals per game, but the team has been improving in that area. The team is ranked 15th in goals against with 2.6 per game and are 24th and 19th in power play and penalty kill percentage. Mike Richards is leading the team in points, while Jeff Carter is tops in goals with seven.
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