The Los Angeles Kings have floundered coming out of the three-week pause in the NHL schedule for the Milan Cortina Olympics, getting outscored 14-5 in back-to-back losses.
They’ll try to right the ship when they host the Calgary Flames on Saturday afternoon.
“We’ve got a job to do come Saturday, and we’ve got to go win a game and get this thing turned the other way,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said. “My concern and my energy will be trying to get them in the frame of mind to do that.”
Los Angeles came out of the Olympic break Wednesday against a Vegas Golden Knights team that was resting five players who competed in the gold-medal game Sunday in Milan, but the Kings lost anyway 6-4.
The following night, the Kings hosted an Edmonton Oilers team that was coming off a 6-5 loss at the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday and got flattened 8-1 for their most one-sided defeat of the season.
It was their season-high fifth straight loss overall.
“For whatever reason, we just haven’t been as sharp as the teams we’re playing,” Los Angeles defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “That’s the result we’re getting.”
As the hot seat for Hiller gets hotter, Anderson told reporters after the Edmonton loss that the players haven’t quit on the coaching staff.
“It’s a group in here,” Anderson said. “It may not always seem like it from the outside, but we’ve got a good group of guys here. Guys that want to be here.”
Making matters more difficult for Hiller moving forward, the Kings lost defenseman Drew Doughty and forward Joel Armia to injuries against the Oilers. Both had participated in the Olympics through last weekend.
“There’s a lot of wear and tear on those Olympic players who get over there and play,” Hiller said. “Then there’s the travel that goes with it, too. Just the emotions. I think there’s been times when those players have come back and had a harder time staying healthy.”
The Flames looked sharp coming out of their Olympic pause Thursday, beating the San Jose Sharks 4-1 to open their three-game California swing.
“We’ve put in the work in the last 10 days or so,” Calgary goalie Dustin Wolf said after the win. “Anytime you can come into a building and get two points, that’s exactly what we are looking for.”
Wolf made 34 saves against the Sharks but could be held back against the Kings to save him for the much-hotter Ducks on Sunday in Anaheim.
Devin Cooley is the other netminder for the Flames, and he has yet to face Los Angeles in his two-year NHL career.
Nazem Kadri scored two goals against San Jose for his third straight multi-point game.
Kadri’s linemates, Connor Zary and Joel Farabee, combined for a goal and two assists.
“That line (against San Jose) was our line that had the most juice,” Calgary coach Ryan Huska said. “They had a little bit more urgency than some of our other lines (against the Sharks). It just seemed like they were going to impact the game the right way, and they did.”
