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The Kings finally looking good; Calgary tend to underperform on the away matches this season

LA Kings finally found their rhythm and they are looking very good right now. They won two consecutive matches and their form is clearly improving. Calgary are troubled with injuries and they tend to underperform on the away matches.

LA Kings started the season slowly but they are looking better with every round. After the away win against Nashville, they have also won at home against Dallas. They won convincingly but, perhaps even more important, they really looked good on the ice that day.

That was their 6th victory in the opening 9 rounds, and they lost only once at home at the very beginning of the season. Their defense is looking really good, goalie Quick is getting better and better, and the offense creates lots of goal scoring opportunities. Although Dallas took the lead, Williams turned the game around with two goals. The away team scored the equalizer after that, but in the third period LA scored three goals and they won the match.

They had 5 shots on goal more than their opponents, and excellent penalty killing (7/7) was probably the key for the victory that day. Quick also helped a lot with 93% shots on his goal saved so it would be fair to say solid defensive work earned them the victory that day. Of course, when your defense performs good it is easier to play in the attack, and their offensive line ups did their job that day.

- What we need to do is to create our identity on the ice. That is something you need to do every season. If you are entering the third period one goal behind, you must feel like you are going to win that game. I felt that kind of energy in the locker room during the half time break. You could sense the players are focused and eager to win - Kings forward Justin Williams said.

The Kings are injury-free and that is excellent news for them. Especially as Calgary aren't really that lucky in that area.

Calgary lost two consecutive away games and they are slowing down after a great start of the season. They are still building their team, they have no big names in the roster and it would be fair to say they are the main favorites for the last place on the table. Although it didn't look like that couple of weeks ago as they have really looked good at the beginning of the season.

After the loss to Anaheim, they lost convincingly to San Jose. Their players made 10 penalties and that was the main reason for the loss that day. Three times they conceded with one man less on the ice, and, on the other side, they only scored once from the 7 powerplays of their own. They were 4-1 down by the end of the second period, but then Hudler and Backlund scored two goals it looked like their are back in the game. But, their defense once again started to make mistakes. They conceded two more goals in the third period and the game was over.

Unlike the last season, they tend to underperform on the away matches this year. They conceded a total of 16 goals on the 4 away matches and their defense is not looking good in general. They conceded 26 goals in just 7 games. They also had a terrible penalty killing percentage (69%) and it is no wonder they are not winning points.

- We weren't focused. And when you are not focused there is no chance you can win. Especially against such a tough opponent - Calgary's head-coach Bob Hurtley said.

Calgary are having some injury problems, especially in the offense. Cammalleri, Stajan and Jones are all out, and they are much more dangerous with them on the ice. This could prove to be a huge handicap for them against a very tough opponent such as LA Giants. 

The difference in quality of those two teams is large. The season is under way, the Kings have consolidated and entered into a good form, and when they're playing like that they are one of the strongest teams in the league. Two wins in a row, in the last game at home they easily won over Dalals and have shown huge character. They have no absences, and Quick on goal is in great form. Calgary is one of the worst teams of the league, currently rebuilding the team and without any real stars. In four away matches they have three defeats and 16 goals allowed. They have two losses in a row to teams on the Kings level, which are defensively weaker then the Kings. All in all Calgary has three very inconvenient absences in the offense, with Cammalieri, Stajan and Jones they would be stronger forward, so that's another great plus. Their starting earnestness ahs gone, they are losing to better teams and here I don't see they have a chance against the much better, more experienced and tougher Kings who are playing at home.