The Kings headed into Saturday’s rubber match of their three-game homestand with serious concerns about their power play as well as some individual offensive performers that they hoped to get back afloat against the surging Seattle Kraken.
They disposed of the dead-tired Detroit Red Wings to kick off the homestand – which is part of nine straight games to be played in California – but were shut out for the first time this season by the Buffalo Sabres Wednesday.
The black and silver became the not-so-proud owners of the NHL’s worst power play since Nov. 10 – they’ve scored no power-play goals since Nov. 9 and that one was an empty-netter – and have the fourth-worst conversion rate over all of 2024-25.
Their 0-for-5 performance as they were bageled 1-0 by Buffalo was their third such display this season, including an 0-for-6 showing in a loss to lowly San Jose. They’ve gone 0 for 4 on four other occasions, and went without a power-play goal in 13 of their 20 games so far.
Their newly assembled top unit of five forwards has had the vibe of Dean Smith’s four-corner offense at times and, at its best, has produced nothing but near misses. The second unit’s struggles have been season-long, with the ineffectual play of both groups rendering meaningless the Kings’ numerous bromides about “looks” and “movement.”
Their struggles haven’t been limited to the power play either. Overall, they’ve lost four of their past six games, and in those defeats they’ve managed a meager 1.25 goals per game.
Forward Quinton Byfield signed a lucrative extension this summer with the expectation that he’d push upward into the top tier of the Kings’ scoring leaderboard. But instead of chasing captain Anže Kopitar, Byfield’s production has more closely mirrored that of checker Trevor Lewis.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft surmounted several setbacks: a broken ankle and not one but two viral illnesses, one of which robbed him of about 25 pounds. Last season, he appeared poised for a breakout, but mixed form, tentativeness and tough luck have inhibited him in the first quarter of this campaign.
“He’s had tough stretches before that he’s come out of,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said. “If anybody’s faced adversity, it’s been him through the first run of his career here. So, he’s been through that, he’ll get through it.”
Hiller remarked that Byfield “wasn’t alone” among players who could not convert Wednesday. He also wasn’t unaccompanied in a crowd of slumping Kings.
Winger Kevin Fiala has gone pointless in six straight games and defenseman Jordan Spence has spent much of the season turning the puck over as if he were cooking it on a grill. Meanwhile, Brock Faber, whom the Kings dealt along with a first-round pick for Fiala, has been the No. 1 defenseman for the West’s second-best team to date, the Minnesota Wild.
Even the Kings’ early-season scorchers have cooled significantly. Brandt Clarke has been held scoreless in four straight games and six of his past seven. In his last two games, he and the top power-play unit have clearly missed each other.
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Alex Laferriere remained in that grouping, but his production continued to sag. After a torrid stretch of eight goals in 10 games, he has one goal in his last eight appearances and no points in his four most recent outings.
Slumping totals and shoulders alike will have to straighten up against leading scorer Jared McCann and Seattle, which rebounded from a four-game winless skid to capture five of its past six decisions. The Kraken have killed 90% of its penalties during their ascent, good for sixth in the NHL, and allowed a miserly 1.67 goals per game, the fourth-best mark in the league during that span.
Seattle at Kings
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Crypto.com Arena
How to watch: FDSNW