I thought this quote from Corey Perry last night carried some good perspective.

Good perspective from Corey Perry after tonight’s game. pic.twitter.com/HcVdb0rAOD

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) October 31, 2025

He didn’t make excuses, but said pretty candidly that when the Kings are playing the way that they want to, the way they’re capable of, we’re seeing some really good things. When they don’t, it’s costing them, both within games and in the standings.

There were long stretches against Detroit and Nashville, looking specifically over the last four games, that pointed to a Kings team that should have earned four points between the two games. When they played that way, they looked really good. However, in neither of those games did the Kings play a full, complete 60(+) minutes and as a result, four points became two.

“I think we’re really close, for sure,” goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. “We’re finding ways to get wins, get points, which, at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing, but overall, I think we like the way we’re trending with our game. It’s just doing it for a full 60 and finding that consistency, but we feel like we’re really close.”

In last night’s game against Detroit, the Kings set several season highs at the offensive end of the rink.

87 shot attempts, their highest of the season. 47 scoring chances? Most of the season. 22 high-danger opportunities were also a season high. The Kings did a lot of things well and there are a lot of other worlds where they start a four-game homestand with two points. They didn’t, though, as they wound up scoring zero goals 5-on-5 and needed two in the 6-on-5 situation to get the job done, so the reality is what it is. But the Kings did a lot of things they liked last night.

“I feel like we did have a lot of chances and I feel like there’s a lot that guys would like to have back, myself too, Talbs had my number there,” forward Quinton Byfield said. “There’s a few that we’d like back. It was good that we’re getting more chances and I think we’re trending the right direction.”

It’s a lot of positives, right? But the Kings lost. Why?

First things first, it’s about consistency. There are spurts within games that are going well, as Perry noted. But the players don’t feel they’ve found the necessary level of consistency right now to turn those stretches of good play into consistent results. The first period was really good last night but it was 0-0. Detroit controlled more of the play in the second. The Kings turned it back on during the third, lots of opportunities, but it took the successful 6-on-5 push to tie the game.

A full 60 at those levels and they’d win just about every night played in that way. Chicago and San Jose games a prime example. What’s funny is that we’ve seen far more of those good stretches in the Nashville and Detroit losses, whereas the Kings found a way to win against the Blackhawks and Sharks. Perhaps that, right there, is an example of the consistency they’re in search of.

“Right now, it’s just kind of trying to find our consistency,” forward Alex Laferriere said. “Obviously it’s great that we’re getting points and we’re finding ways to stay in games, but I think just trying to be a little bit more consistent and try to have a full sixty, I think that’s going to help us out.”

MARCO PPG! pic.twitter.com/rP2ZIIKLR0

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 31, 2025

The other part last night was, well, some really tough calls.

I still can’t understand how Marco Kasper’s goal that made the game 2-1 stood. Frankly, the penalty called on Joel Edmundson that led to the goal was extremely soft. So, should the Kings have really been in that position to begin with? I’d say no.

Then on the goal, one of the biggest problems I have here is that the league is relying on video replay to assist with ruling on these calls. Which I think is, objectively, a good thing. The problem is, at least of the broadcast angles that are available to be seen, the league is unable to provide conclusive angles that allow us to truly determine what happens on these plays. Every angle shown is from an angle that does not allow for a clear and decisive view. After seeing Laferriere’s goal in Dallas disallowed for a high stick last week, with equally inconclusive video, it is frustrating to see the inconsistency in that aspect of the game. Everything about Kasper’s goal felt like it was above the crossbar and it’s a real shame that a situation like that was potentially the difference between a win and a loss. Especially after a soft penalty call that put the Kings shorthanded to begin with.

For what it’s worth, I thought the call in overtime that took away what would have been the game-winning goal was the correct one, though I’ve never seen a more even split when talking with people about it all day today. Was truly 50/50. Lots of thoughts and opinions there, but especially after most agreed that there were a couple of wrong calls were made earlier in the game, I think that goal coming back hurt for sure.

Thought it was interesting how Hiller positioned it today.

“It was a lot of positives and we come walking in here and we could have had what we felt was maybe one of the best wins of the year and instead, we’re on the other side of it,” Hiller said. “So our job, we’ve got to make sure we balance that, because we play tomorrow at six o’clock and you got to get a frame of mind, you’ve got to have energy. It’s a long season, so you better not drag yourself down too far. Let’s get back up. There’s always two ways to look at it. We got a lot of points over this last stretch, so let’s just go get some more.”

That’s the thing with this league.

We can talk about the Red Wings game today. But tomorrow, it’s not even a storyline any more. Whether or not the calls were BS no longer matters. The chances the Kings had, scored or not scored, don’t much matter either. The Kings lost 4-3 in a shootout and right or wrong, they’re not going to be awarded the extra point. It’s about how you manage those swings. In being around a team for a number of years now, I’ve learned how much tamer the swings are in the room than outside of it. The highs are never as high and the lows never as low as they feel with the fanbase, the media or . It’s cliche, but I see it in practice each day. Last night was a frustrating one for a number of reasons and it’s yet another game this season that the Kings had several opportunities to win but did not. Some within their control, some outside of it. Last night, there was more outside of it, but still, it was a winnable game. And now, they move on.

Tomorrow, it’s 0-0 again and another winnable game, as each game is before it starts. Kings and Devils at 6 PM from Crypto.com Arena, in another chance to get it right.