The Kings’ Stanley Cup Era, which peaked with their championships in 2012 and 2014, ended around the same time as the Ducks’ Pretty Good Era, a stretch highlighted by their 2007 Cup win and trips to the Western Conference finals in 2015 and 2017. The two Southern California teams then began synchronized rebuilds, each waiting a year or so too long to upgrade their speed and skill and missing the playoffs together in 2018-19 and 2019-20. It took special skill to miss out last season, when the NHL expanded the playoff field from the usual 16 to 24, but they managed to slide under that low bar.
Column: Ducks GM Bob Murray still has total confidence in coach Dallas Eakins
