Kings playing the Blues after ‘really poor road trip’

Reeling from a road trip that dimmed their prospects, the Kings geared up to welcome the St.

Louis Blues on Wednesday.When they embarked on their three-game journey, they were within two points of second-place Edmonton and six of division-leading Vegas, with a host of home games ahead and three games in hand on each club.

Those margins have been narrowed to one game in hand, while the Kings lost two points of ground to both teams, all thanks to their ongoing funk.Their four straight games without a win equaled their season-worst stretch, and on their 0-3-0 road trip they were outscored 15-4 during visits to the injury-riddled Dallas Stars, these same middling Blues and the bottom-dwelling Chicago Blackhawks, whod been further diluted by injuries and a big trade over the weekend.Its a really poor road trip.

We got zero points in three games, Kings head coach Jim Hiller told reporters Monday in Chicago.

Well have to go home and be ready for what is a good St.

Louis team who smacked us pretty good.The Hawks trampled the Kings 5-1 in another game in which the Kings opted to scratch their top-scoring defenseman, Brandt Clarke.

This was his fourth healthy scratch of the season but the first that effectively saw him demoted to the teams eighth defense slot, with Kyle Burroughs drawing in as a seventh rearguard in favor of Clarke.In those four contests, the Kings defensive woes have hardly been ameliorated: Theyve lost all four by an aggregate count of 15-2.The further relegation of Clarke reinvigorated trade speculation surrounding 2021s eighth overall pick ahead of Fridays league-wide deadline.The Kings once had a robust surplus of right defensemen, but currently have three lefties in their core four on the blue line and comparatively little to show for Sean Durzi, Brock Faber, Helge Grans, Matt Roy and Sean Walker.Theyve also had little to point to from their first-round picks in the way of production during the Rob Blake era.

Blakes highest and most prominent selection as general manager was Quinton Byfield, drafted second overall in 2020, one slot ahead of Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle.Stutzle has recorded 310 points in 345 career games, which led reader Stephen Weinberg to examine his production relative to all six Kings first-rounders who have been selected by Blake and made their NHL debut.Byfield, Clarke, Rasmus Kupari, Tobias Bjornfot, Alex Turcotte and Gabe Vilardi have, in 803 games in black and silver, combined for fewer goals (104), assists (197) and points (301) than Stutzle has accumulated all by himself.Byfield, Turcotte and maybe-or-maybe-not Clarke will take the ice against the Blues on Wednesday, whom they just lost to 4-1 last Saturday in St.

Louis and whom theyll host yet again this coming Saturday, with the entire season series unfolding in a weeks time.Related ArticlesLos Angeles Kings | LA Kings apologize for selling scarves made in Turkey on Armenian NightLos Angeles Kings | Kings 3-game trip ends with another dud against BlackhawksLos Angeles Kings | Kings land in Chicago looking to snap three-game losing skidLos Angeles Kings | Kings suffer third straight loss, fall to BluesLos Angeles Kings | Kings prove no match for surging StarsThe Blues entered Thursdays slate of games just one point behind Calgary and Vancouver in the race for the Wests final wild-card berth, though Utah was nipping at their heels as well.One-time King Brayden Schenn and former Edmonton Oiler Dylan Holloway are both riding five-game scoring streaks (six points apiece).

Star forward Robert Thomas will levitate into the contest on a 10-game tear (14 points) thats tied for the third-longest active surge in the NHL (the longest is owned by none other than Stutzle).St.

Louis at KingsWhen: 7:30 p.m.

WednesdayWhere: Crypto.com ArenaTV: FDSNW.

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