If it's not broken, don't fix it. This phrase could not be any truer in the Los Angeles Kings approach in the NHL playoffs. Weirdly enough, the Kings have only won one of their last seven home games in the playoffs?
What is the natural solution to fix this problem? Turning your home games into road games of course.
Arash Markazi from ESPN breaks down the changes Kings coach Darryl Sutter has implemented in the team's playoff series against the St. Louis Blues:
He tried to turn Los Angeles into St. Louis.
He made the team stay in a hotel the night before Thursday's game. He held the morning skate at Staples Center, which is the first time the Kings have done so in years after usually holding them at the training facility in nearby El Segundo. He held team meetings at the hotel and paired players with the same roommates they have on the road.
Perhaps this mind trick has paid big dividends or maybe it has nothing to do with the Kings' current playoff run. Either way, if the Kings believe it's working, then that is all that matters. The Kings host the Blues for game four on Sunday, but Sutter has not said if the team will follow through with its road routine. Again, why fix something that is not broken?