Los Angeles Kings

Team Summary

The Los Angeles Kings are an NHL team playing in the Pacific Division based out of Los Angeles, California. The team joined the league in 1967 as part of the NHL’s first-ever expansion draft, and are the oldest of the three California teams. Los Angeles is also the most successful of the three California teams, with two Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014.

The Kings are one of four franchises to include Wayne Gretzky on their roster, receiving the NHL superstar in one of the biggest trades in the history of the league. Despite playing for the Kings from 1988 until 1996, Gretzky was unable to bring the cup to Los Angeles.

The Kings are currently somewhere between rebuilding and a bubble team, pleasantly surprising their fans with a top-three spot in the Pacific Division at the halfway mark of the 2021-2022 season.

Los Angeles Kings Betting

The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. The team competes in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the NHL. The Kings have a passionate fan base and have a recent history of success.

Team History

The Los Angeles Kings joined the league in 1967 as one of six new teams, doubling the league from six to 12. As is the case with the rest of the 1967 expansion teams, the Kings were severely outclassed in talent by the Original Six franchises, finishing their first year in the league with a record of 31-33-10 but following it up with a 24-42-10 season the following year and an even worse 14-52-10 record in 1970.

The Kings were a troubled team when it came to the playoffs- prior to 1993, the team had never made it past the second round in 18 different appearances, even with the help of NHL legend Wayne Gretzky after joining the team in 1988. LA would finally get past the second round and advance all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993 but fell just short of a championship title after falling to the Montreal Canadiens 4-1.

The Kings would make the playoffs only four times in the next 15 seasons, with only one series win against the Red Wings in 2001. Fortune wouldn’t turn around until 2012, following up back-to-back first-round exits with the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup win. The team would go on to lose to the Blackhawks dynasty in the Conference Finals the following year but would get revenge in 2014 after winning their second cup and eliminating Chicago in seven games.

LA would only make the postseason twice after their 2014 cup win, losing in the first round on both occasions. The team is undergoing a bit of a soft rebuild, still stuck with several large contracts from their window of contention. Still, the team has a bright future with prospects such as Alex Turcotte and Quinton Byfield.

Key Stats

Los Angeles has had a surprising season this year, finding themselves in second place in the Pacific Division with a record of 24-16-7 with 55 points. The Pacific is extremely competitive this year- LA is only two points behind the first place Vegas Golden Knights, while the Anaheim Ducks are in third with 55 points and one more game played and Calgary in fourth with 52 points. If the Kings want to stay afloat, they’ll simply need to keep winning- there’s simply no cushion for the team if they start to skid.

Team captain Anze Kopitar is leading the way in scoring with 14 goals and 28 assists in 47 games. The captain is in first by a wide margin, as the rest of the team has yet to crack 30 points on the season- Viktor Arvidsson is next on the list with 29 points in 40 games. Adrian Kempe leads the team in goals scored with 19 goals, with a total of 28 points on the season in 44 games played. Defenseman Drew Doughty has played very well despite struggling with injury, racking up 24 points in 28 games played.

Goaltending has been a bit inconsistent for the team, as both Calvin Peterson and Jonathan Quick have shown streaks of brilliance at times but have put up average numbers overall. Quick has gotten the majority of the starts this year with a record of 12-10-6 and a SV% of .912, while Cal Peterson has a record of 11-6-1 and a SV% of .900.

Championships Won by the Team

The Kings have won two championships, winning in 2012 and 2014. Prior to their first win, Los Angeles had only made the finals once in 1993, losing 4-1 to the Montreal Canadiens. The 2012 win came after finishing the regular season 40-27-15, finishing third in the Pacific Division. The playoff format was a bit different than the modern NHL seeding, making the Kings the eighth seed in the Western Conference as opposed to the current divisional structure in the postseason. LA would dominate their run through the playoffs, finishing with a record of 16-4 and defeating the New Jersey Devils 4-2.

The second championship came in 2014. Once again, the Kings finished third in the Pacific Division, playing the San Jose Sharks in the first round and completing a reverse sweep to move on to the Conference Semifinals. The 2014 run was much tighter than in 2012, with matchups against the Sharks, Kings, and Blackhawks all going to seven games. LA would eventually reach the finals against the New York Rangers, defeating the Rags 4-1 with an overtime goal in game five to end it.

Important Team Events

The Los Angeles Kings had one of the most incredible comeback stories in all of sports in the first round of the 2014 playoffs. The Kings had finished with a record of 46-28-8, finishing third in the Pacific Division and earning a matchup against the San Jose Sharks. It looked like the season was going to end abruptly after the team quickly went down 3-0, losing their first three games 6-3, 7-2, and 4-3 in overtime. Things looked dire, but a 6-3 win in game four followed by a 3-0 shutout in game five provided the kickstart needed to get the Kings right back into the series.

LA would dominate games six and seven, winning 4-1 and 5-1 to complete the reverse sweep of their division rival and move on to the next round against the Anaheim Ducks. While the story is incredible in and of itself, it’s made even greater after the Kings would go on to defeat the New York Rangers 4-1 to win the Stanley Cup. Talk about a comeback!

Top Players

The Kings have had several franchise altering players in their history, including Wayne Gretzky from 1988 to 1996. However, Marcel Dionne holds most of the scoring records for the team. Dionne played for the Kings from 1975 until 1987, setting the franchise record in assists at 757 and points at 1307. While Dionne was an electric player in his 921 games with the club, Luc Robitaille holds the record for most goals scored at 557. Robitaille started a new era immediately after the departure of Dionne, playing with the Kings from 1986 until1994,m and again from 1997-2001. He would sign with the Kings one last time in the twilight of his career from 2003-2006, retiring as a member of LA.

While Dionne and Robitaille hold the records for points, the team’s current captain Anze Kopitar will likely join them as one of the Kings’ all-time greatest players. Kopitar has played with the Kings for the entirety of his career after being drafted in 2006, and played an integral part in the cup wins of 2012 and 2014. Defenseman Drew Doughty and goaltender Jonathan Quick were also key pieces to the LA Kings’ dominance of the early 2010s, joining Kopitar as key pieces to the cup-winning core.

Top Coaches

The Kings have had 29 coaches since joining the league in 1967, currently coached by Todd McLellan. McLellan has been with the team since 2019, coaching only 70 games with a total record of 29-35-6. The Kings have had three coaches since 2017, adding a bit of turmoil to the position in recent years.

Darryl Sutter is the top name when it comes to the best coaches ever hired by the team, coaching 425 games between 2011 and 2017. Sutter would bring the franchise its first (and only) two cups during the 2012 and 2014 seasons, finishing with a .641 win percentage in the postseason and a regular-season record of 225-147-45.

Andy Murray is the longest-tenured coach in the history of the Kings, leading the team from 1999 until 2006 in 480 games. Murray was a solid regular season coach with a record of 215-176-89, but couldn’t quite make it over the playoff hum with a win rate of .417 in the postseason. If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.