***LA Kings @ Tampa Bay Lightning GDT 1/30/25 4:00pm on FanDuel***

Congratulations to the following posters who predicted the kings would not have a goal scorer on the night and/or that the first goal of the game would come within +/-2:00 of 4:45 of the first:

No Goals (1 point):
Rogie-Vachon
Byron
jammer06
Rusty
KernCoKingFan
motalare
hornman

4:15-5:15 (3 points):
DRGinLBC
Forum Gold
JETS GARAGE

3:45-5:45 (2 points):
Chateau Bow Wow
pray4mojo
Cross Traffic
hornman

2:45-6:45 (1 point):
Rogie-Vachon
jammer06
sonnyboy11
VCRW
Liz4LA
Nyssa42

That's two games in a row where vaunted defense be damned if it wasn't for spectacular goaltending the squad would have been blown out of the water. Shame to waste that effort, granted both those teams are really effin good too and make teams look bad, but the play off the puck for the team is really disjointed at the moment. Calling it time reading the puck, reacting instead of playing, whatever you want they aren't executing at a high enough level to be successful. Hiller's got his hands full rebuilding that on the fly in the middle of the season.
 
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Maybe the problem with the Kings is a conditioning problem. They started out strong last season and then hit a wall around the same time. Maybe their entire training program needs to be revamped. I don't notice this kind of problem with any of the teams the Kings have been playing lately. They're all skating circles around the Kings.
This is a compelling question. I think the extensive road travel has had something to do with it, but it’s true that it’s a pattern. Some players already said this is the part of the season they start to feel run down. But if other teams look fresher, what gives?
 
Maybe the problem with the Kings is a conditioning problem. They started out strong last season and then hit a wall around the same time. Maybe their entire training program needs to be revamped. I don't notice this kind of problem with any of the teams the Kings have been playing lately. They're all skating circles around the Kings.
I don't know, between December 22nd and January 10th the Kings played a grand total of four games. That's a lot of time to recuperate.
Whatever the reasons for this new slump, I've been watching this team for over five decades, and this is the weakest team I think I've ever seen them put on the ice.
We're consantly getting beat on one-on-one battles, and the opposition is either skating circles around us or out-muscling us on the boards.
In addition, we're sorely lacking elite skill players.
Obviously when the Kings are clicking at home and our defense is locking down other teams, we're hard to beat. But we're not going to beat many teams scoring two goals or less every game.
So I don't know if it's mental or physical, but we sure seem to be soft as tissue paper and mentally fragile.
I sure miss the days when the Kings were a big, gritty, nasty team.
 
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