Kings seek to end early season skid in St. Louis

After rousing the assemblage successful their play opener, the Kings person provoked lone a bid of groans since by failing to triumph different crippled and losing 1 of their 2 astir important contributors to injury.

They volition play their 2nd consecutive lucifer successful St. Louis connected Monday, seeking to slam the brakes connected a four-game skid aft they fell 7-3 to the Blues connected Saturday successful their archetypal afloat contention without apical defenseman Drew Doughty.

In Friday’s overtime nonaccomplishment to the Dallas Stars, Doughty sustained a lower-body wounded precocious successful the 2nd play wherever a cheque from defenseman Jani Hakanpaa resulted successful knee-on-knee contact. Doughty had to beryllium helped disconnected the crystal and was spotted by the St. Louis property corps Saturday utilizing crutches.

“It’s hard to regenerate Drew Doughty,” Kings Coach Todd McLellan told reporters. “I don’t deliberation I’m saying thing that’s not obvious, it’s hard to regenerate him successful (all) those situations, but it’s a large accidental for immoderate different people.”

Up front, halfway Anze Kopitar has been the fulcrum of the Kings’ attack, but adjacent helium saw his four-game extremity streak snapped arsenic helium did not registry a constituent successful the blowout loss.

After dropping 3 one-goal games successful a enactment and drafting immoderate spot from peculiar teams aboriginal on, the Kings came unglued connected Saturday. They scored first, but past surrendered 4 power-play goals and a shorthanded tally portion coming up bare connected 4 powerfulness plays.

“It’s decidedly not a crippled that we privation to play, we’re embarrassed close now,” winger Alex Iafallo told reporters. “Obviously each period, we’ve got to travel together, whether it’s the powerfulness play, punishment kill, everything hurts.”

Doughty volition beryllium evaluated much thoroughly connected Tuesday erstwhile the Kings instrumentality location to await the Winnipeg Jets, their archetypal hostile successful a five-game homestand that begins Thursday.

In the meantime, seasoned Olli Maatta made his play debut connected Saturday and different defenseman, Austin Strand, was recalled from the minors. Sean Walker and Alex Edler should some spot further powerfulness play time, with McLellan besides alluding to a imaginable radical of 5 forwards.

Elsewhere successful the lineup, Kings winger Vladimir Tkachev, whom McLellan subtly suggested was 1 of the players unprepared for a carnal crippled against Minnesota and who saw his minutes slashed against Nashville, has been a steadfast scratch successful 2 consecutive games.

St. Louis’s play has begun famously. They are 1 of 5 teams successful the NHL that has yet to suffer a crippled successful regularisation oregon overtime. They fertile 2nd successful power-play conversion complaint and are tied for 2nd successful penalty-kill percentage.

Winger Jordan Kyrou paces the nine offensively with 8 points successful 4 games, trailed by seasoned David Perron’s seven, a full boosted by his chapeau instrumentality against the Kings connected Saturday.

Eleven players connected the St. Louis roster are averaging a constituent per crippled connected the young campaign. Jordan Binnington had won each 4 decisions successful extremity and the Blues person doubled up opponents 22-11 frankincense far, tying them for the league’s second-best extremity differential.

Kings astatine St. Louis

When: 5 p.m. Monday

Where: Enterprise Center

TV/Radio: Bally Sports West/iHeartRadio