As the LA Kings season winds down, it’s only natural to wonder: “What if a few things had gone differently?”

A few shifts here or there, a bounce that goes their way, or whatever minute detail it may be, and suddenly the Kings would be in a playoff spot.

Every team has close games throughout a season that may come back to haunt them at the end. So which losses were the worst for the Kings? Some of these games may be etched into your brain, while others you have completely forgotten. Fortunately, you can now re-live every painstaking loss!

Presenting, the 10 Worst Losses of the 2014-15 Season! (with special thanks to War on Ice for their win probability charts)

No. 10

In their final game in 2014, the Kings managed to help the Oilers end their nine-game losing streak.

The Kings were able to salvage a point, but the Oilers came into that game with the worst record in the league at that time (7-22-7). In a running theme from this season, the Kings needed to take care of business and came up short. They also went 0-for-4 in the deciding shootout.

No. 9



The Sabres have been doing everything in their power to lose as many games as possible as they tanked their way to the McEichel Sweepstakes.

That’s what made this 1-0 shutout loss all the more frustrating as the Kings couldn’t get any of their 34 shots past Jhonas Enroth and his sparkling .899 save percentage.

No. 8



The Blues are a regular season powerhouse. So losing to them on the road isn’t all that bad. But what made this one painful was that the Kings were up 2-0 halfway through the game. Unable to clamp down on defense, the Blues rallied for five unanswered goals in the last 28 minutes of the game.

No. 7



I guess giving up 2-0 leads is just what the Kings do this year. Granted, the Coyotes outplayed the Kings throughout most of the game, it’s still hard to look at the standings and see that they gave up that lead to the team with the second-worst record in the NHL.

No. 6



Coming into the game, the Kings and Canucks were separated by only two points. This was a huge matchup that very well could have decided the second seed in the Pacific Division.

The Kings took a 1-0 lead early in the second period, and then everything fell apart in the final period. With the score tied, Tyler Toffoli missed on a shorthanded breakaway opportunity that would have given the Kings the lead. He then proceeded to take a 5-minute major penalty for boarding Alexandre Burrows. The Canucks took the lead on the ensuing 5-on-3 powerplay and added two empty-net goals to secure the win.

No. 5



The Kings season looked like it was falling apart at this point. Mike Richards had just been sent down to the AHL and the team was blown out 4-0 in their previous game. And immediately following their game against the Panthers they would rattle off an eight-game win streak.

But with every point meaning so much right now, this was a game that they needed something to show for their efforts. The Kings led 2-1 with under 10 minutes to go and managed to not even earn a charity point.

No. 4



Yeah, 2-0 leads really have been torturous. The Ducks had outplayed the Kings for most of the game, but to be up two goals in the third period and not even get a point was a tough one to swallow.

No. 3



An early goal from Jeff Carter gave the Kings a lead they carried into the third period. …then they didn’t have it anymore.

Two goals scored 66 seconds apart gave the Predators the lead. The game-winner, Viktor Stalberg’s first of the season, was an especially awful way to lose.

No. 2



The team that very well may keep the Kings out of the playoffs is the Calgary Flames. And they have found countless ways to frustrate the Kings all season long.

Despite combining to score the most unlikely go-ahead goal (Jarret Stoll from Matt Greene and Dustin Brown) midway through the third period, the Kings couldn’t hang on. Sean Monahan tied it with six minutes left and the Flames would go on to win the game in overtime. Instead of sending home the Flames with nothing, the Kings just handed them two points. …but if you think that one was bad…

No. 1



Forget the shame in giving up a two-goal lead! With 22 minutes left in this crucial game at home, the Kings were up 3-0.

Then Johnny Gadreau happened.

The sensational rookie scored in the final minutes of the second period to cut the lead. But it was what he did late in the third period that was truly magical maddening. With the goalie pulled, Gadreau scored two more goals to complete the hat trick.

#ItWas3toNothing

Mark Giordano completed the comeback in overtime and gave Calgary two more points in the standings.

Forget the other eight games, had they simply held on to their third period leads against the Flames in those two games, the Kings would have 92 points with a game in hand and be in third place in the Pacific. Meanwhile, the Flames would drop to 87 points and be clinging onto their playoff hopes.

I’m not sure whether I hate the Kings or Flames more right now.