Kings lose fourth consecutive game: Changes coming?
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We posed this question when the Ducks slid into a freefall, and now it seems more than appropriate with the punchless Kings doing the same thing.
Who stays and who goes?
A night of nostalgia ended in boos by the Staples Center fans on Saturday night as Dallas beat the Kings, 2-1. The frustration and anger was visible in the dressing room, which not a surprise if you consider the Kings have lost four in a row, scoring an underwhelming six goals in that stretch.
A major player trade was expected from the Ducks and they ended up switching coaches, firing Randy Carlyle and replacing him with Bruce Boudreau. Do the Kings run the same play with Terry Murray? Or do they end up making a rare major mid-season trade?
King captain Dustin Brown was asked if he thought individuals were anticipating a shakeup, in terms of a player move.
“It’s hard to say. I’ve never been on a team that’s good, that’s gone through this,” Brown said. “That’s probably the biggest difference for me. We have a good team in here. We’re capable of doing everything we need to with the people we have in here.
‘I don’t think guys consciously think about that. Maybe it’s in the back of some guys’ heads.”
His school of thought was that there was not enough desperation, using that word several times.
‘Right now, we don’t have enough guys having that desperation that we need,’ Brown said.
He addressed the absence of injured center Mike Richards.
“He’s a big part of our team,’ Brown said. ‘At the same time, I think we’re a good enough team. We did it last year without Kopi (Anze Kopitar). He’s our best player. We did it for 12 games and playoffs and we played pretty well. Right now, we’ve got to be more desperate. We’re not desperate enough right now.’
MORE:
Kings lose again without Mike Richards, 2-1 to the Stars
Another loss for the Kings, who remain in search of an identity
--Lisa Dillman
Photo: Kings defenseman Jack Johnson pursues Stars right wing Radek Dvorak in the first period Saturday night at Staples Center. Credit: Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press
