Kings strive to continue improved play on road as Blackhawks await

The Los Angeles Kings head into Tuesday night’s visit to Chicago looking like a team that has finally found some traction. After opening the season with six straight losses, Los Angeles has now won three of its last four games, and notably, each of those victories has come on the road.

That trend will be tested again against a Chicago Blackhawks club still searching for consistency. While neither team has put together a complete body of work yet, the Kings arrive with momentum, while the Blackhawks are trying to stop a three-game skid.

Los Angeles picked up its latest win Monday with an impressive 6-3 result over the New York Rangers. Veteran defenseman Drew Doughty was at the center of it, finishing with a goal and two assists in one of the Kings’ most complete offensive efforts of the season. Artemi Panarin and Joel Edmundson also each had a goal and an assist, while the lineup showed strong balance with 12 different players recording at least one point.

For coach Peter Laviolette, the biggest takeaway was how connected the group looked from start to finish.

He praised the Kings for playing with pace, making smart decisions and consistently attacking, all signs that the club may be settling into a better rhythm after its poor start. Just as important, Los Angeles managed the game well enough that the workload stayed under control on the front end of a back-to-back. Only four players logged more than 20 minutes, with Doughty leading the team at 21:37.

That kind of minute distribution could matter again in Chicago, especially with the Kings trying to maintain energy during a busy stretch of the schedule.

Monday’s victory also marked a personal milestone for Laviolette. It was the 849th win of his NHL coaching career, tying Ken Hitchcock for sixth on the league’s all-time list. Laviolette downplayed the individual achievement, instead pointing to the players, coaches and organizations he has worked with over the years, but the number underscores the experience behind the Kings bench as the team tries to climb back into the Western Conference mix.

Chicago, meanwhile, remains in a more fragile spot. The Blackhawks have just six points, one of the lowest totals in the conference, though they are still only narrowly behind Los Angeles in the standings. The larger issue has been an offense that too often disappears for long stretches.

The Blackhawks are 2-4-0 during their current seven-game homestand and have scored two goals or fewer in five of their last seven games. Their latest setback, a 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday, was especially frustrating because it turned on a self-inflicted mistake. A poor line change helped set up Florida’s go-ahead goal with just over two minutes left.

Captain Connor Bedard did not hide the team’s frustration afterward. Chicago is now 3-8, and the young star made clear that the group has to channel that disappointment into a sharper, more urgent effort in the next game. The challenge for the Blackhawks is turning emotion into execution.

There were a few positives against Florida. Ryan Greene scored early in the first period to give Chicago the lead, and Roman Kantserov added the equalizer in the second. But the biggest problem once again was the power play, which has become a major drag on the team’s ability to stay competitive.

Chicago went 0-for-7 with the man advantage against the Panthers and managed only one shot during a four-minute opportunity in the second period. That came after an 0-for-5 performance on the power play in a 4-1 loss to Montreal. In a league where special teams can quickly swing games, the Blackhawks’ inability to convert has become a serious obstacle.

Coach Jeff Blashill summed it up bluntly: the power play reflects the same issue that exists at even strength — Chicago simply is not scoring enough. He noted that the chances are not entirely absent, but hockey can be deceptive that way. A poor power play can still find a goal, while a cleaner one can come up empty. For the Blackhawks, though, the lack of results is becoming impossible to ignore.

From a matchup standpoint, Tuesday’s game pits a Kings team with renewed road confidence against a Blackhawks squad trying to rediscover offensive touch on home ice. Los Angeles appears to be trending upward thanks to better puck movement, broader scoring support and reliable leadership from players like Doughty. Chicago is still looking for answers, especially on the power play, and may need a breakthrough performance from Bedard and its younger core to shift the mood.

If recent form holds, the Kings will see this as another opportunity to keep building away from home. For the Blackhawks, it is another chance to prove that the losses are not becoming a habit too difficult to break.