Gameday Soundtrack: Kings at Blue Jackets

 
This picture seems like a great summary of how things are going for the Kings right now:

Every night is a battle, regardless of whether a team is good or bad, and the Kings have found themselves on the losing side more frequently in the last few weeks.

Since Christmas, the Kings have lost 6 of their last 7 road games. After starting out the season pretty strong on the road, things are feeling a lot more like last season with the Kings’ inability to earn wins in opponents’ buildings. They’ve collected only three points in their last eight road games. Get jazzed, because their next five games are all on the road, though that’s counting the Stadium Series game versus the Anaheim Ducks. (The Kings will be the home team for that one, technically.)

That said, the situation isn’t necessarily dire. A win in St. Louis started the current trip the right way, and the Kings managed a point out of a game in Detroit where a fluke goal cost them what was very nearly a regulation win. Mistakes in Boston, including a recent trend of giving up goals soon after scoring, saw them get beaten, but if they respond well in today’s game, they can repair their road record.

The Kings have scored three power play goals in their last two games, which hilariously counts as the PP heating up for them despite it still generally looking like a coat hanger abortion. There are also some positives in the fact that a few depth players have been contributing to the scoring. Willie Mitchell and Trevor Lewis have both finally scored their firsts of the season, and Mike Richards is finding his game again, earning five points in his last six games, including his first goal in 23 games.

Jeff Carter’s also still finding his way onto the scoreboard. The Kings need to keep having guys who’ve been quiet offensively contribute, because they’re still struggling to convert more than one or two goals a game most nights, but seeing more depth is a small step in the right direction.

Now the Kings face a weird challenge in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Though the Kings are the stronger team in the standings overall, they’re still struggling with inconsistencies in play while the Blues Jackets are on a six-game win streak. The Blue Jackets are in playoff spot right now. How crazy does that seem?

Yeah, bud, real talk.

Facing Columbus on the tails side of a back-to-back means the Kings risk coming out flat. Jeff Carter’s going to get booed all night, and Mike Richards has a track record for fighting Brandon Dubinsky, so this game could get as chippy as a number of recent games have been, but they have a chance to get another win if they come out with the right energy.