Los Angeles Kings’ Home & Road Splits in 2025-26

The Los Angeles Kings had an interesting 2025–26 season. One of the biggest stories was how differently the team played at home compared to on the road. Most teams usually perform better at home because they have support from their fans and do not have to travel far. But for the Kings, the season turned out very differently from what was expected.

Away Games Fueling the Kings

At the start of the season, many fans believed the Kings would be one of the strongest home teams in the league. In past seasons, they’ve played exceptional at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The crowd’s energy often gave the team confidence, especially during crucial games. However, the 2025–26 season surprised many people because the Kings often played better during away games than home games. On home ice, the Kings struggled with a record of 15-17-9. While on away games, the performance was more solid with a record of 20-10-11.

The season schedule was difficult from the beginning. After opening the season at home, the Kings spent a lot of time traveling. They played many road games during the first month of the season. Long road trips can be tiring because players spend hours on planes, stay in hotels, and may find difficulty with different time zones. Even with those challenges, the Kings handled road games very well.

Interestingly, the Kings responded well to life on the road. Throughout much of the season, they demonstrated resilience in tough arenas and developed a reputation as one of the NHL’s better traveling teams. Statistical breakdowns from StatMuse showed the Kings carrying a significantly stronger away record than home record during the season. What made the contrast even stranger was the fact that the Kings had been dominant at home just one season earlier. During the 2024–25 campaign, Los Angeles established one of the league’s strongest home records, including a franchise-record home points streak. However, those expectations did not carry over into the next season.

Toughest Road Ahead

The season featured unusual back-to-back scheduling. According to Zach Dooley, the Kings played 16 back-to-back sets throughout the season, including away-away combinations that tested roster depth and endurance. Despite those challenges, Los Angeles often handled road pressure effectively, collecting valuable points in difficult arenas.

Road games, though, remained the defining trait of the season. The Kings repeatedly silenced opposing teams and demonstrated remarkable composure in close games. Their road success kept them competitive in the Pacific Division standings despite home struggles, while they finished the regular season with 90 points.

Room for Improvement at Home Ice

Mistakes on defense, missed scoring chances, and weak strategies often hurt the Kings during home games. While Los Angeles looked confident on the road, home games were a different story. Is it the pressure players felt from the coaches? The quality of ice? Both could be true. The team has struggled to maintain the same intensity and consistency they have shown away from home ice. If their focus and physical endurance could improve to match the level of quality they display in away games, they would become far more consistent overall.

Style of Play

Take, for instance, Adrian Kempe. The 6-foot-2 Swede had a more dynamic role for the Kings. He is one of the team’s fastest and most efficient goal scorers. Kempe often created scoring chances by using his speed to pass defensemen and attack quickly off the rush. In home games, this style worked very well because opposing teams sometimes played more aggressively, leaving open space for counterattacks. Kempe took advantage of that space and scored several important goals within the allotted time.

If you compare Kempe’s production at home versus the road, the numbers are very close. He had 18 goals, 18 assists, and a plus/minus of plus-4 in 41 home games. On the road, he had 18 goals, 19 assists, and a plus/minus of plus-10 in 40 games. This balance highlights how reliable he has been in different situations throughout the season. Opposing teams often focused more on him because they knew he was the Kings’ biggest scoring threat. When the Kings struggled to start games with energy at home, Kempe had fewer chances to use his speed in open ice.

The 2025–26 season ultimately showed two different versions of the Kings. Away from home, they looked like a confident playoff contender capable of clutching easy two points. At home, they often appeared tense and inconsistent, unable to fully take advantage of their surroundings. Looking ahead, the Kings will likely regroup and spend the offseason analyzing why the difference became so dramatic. If they can bring their road-game confidence back to home ice, the Kings could become one of the toughest teams to beat in the Western Conference.