Kings prepared for Sean Avery’s antics

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So how do you handle Sean Avery, whose pesky play and insistent yapping inflame opponents’ tempers -- and sometimes, those of his teammates?

The Kings have a plan in place to deal with him when they play the Dallas Stars tonight at Staples Center.

‘Ignore him. I think that’s the thing to do,’ defenseman Sean O’Donnell said after the Kings’ game-day skate at El Segundo.

‘Nothing bothers someone craving attention more than not getting any attention at all.’

Last week, when the Stars played at Anaheim, Avery was in the middle of things, luring Chris Kunitz into a bad penalty, taking a hard hit from Ryan Getzlaf and setting up a goal with a skillful assist. He also leaned around the Plexiglass that separates the benches and directed some choice remarks at the Ducks’ bench, nothing new for him.

‘That’s his motivation,’ O’Donnell said. ‘That’s his way of getting into the game. It’s good we have those seats that separate the benches so he can’t yap.

‘He’s said some things and I just ignore them. People say things. He’s never said anything personal to me that I’ve considered crossing the line. You’ve just got to consider the source.’

Defenseman Tom Preissing considers him not worth worrying about.

‘You just ignore him,’ Preissing said of Avery. ‘As much negative publicity as he gets, when he’s on his game he’s agitating the other team -- and he’s a pretty good player.

‘You’ve just got to do your best to ignore him and treat him like any other player because once you start getting involved in little things that he tries to get you involved in, that’s going to make him a more effective player. Most guys that allow themselves to get get sucked in don’t play as effectively.’

Matt Greene called Avery ‘another player out there,’ albeit, one with good skills. The Kings are better off focusing on their own game rather than on him. A victory would give them their first three-game winning streak since last January.

A three-game winning streak would mean ‘a ton,’ Greene said. ‘Just in terms of confidence, just to know that we could do it and we could string together victories, especially against a division opponent here.

‘It would be huge for us. That’s it. It would be great from a confidence standpoint. If it doesn’t happen it’s not going to crush us, but, if it does happen, it would definitely be a big boost for us.’

Coach Terry Murray said he planned no lineup changes for the game, meaning goalie Erik Ersberg will start for the fourth straight game.

-- Helene Elliott