What we learned from the Kings’ 3-1 loss to Carolina

Although they’re in a relatively easy part of the schedule, the Kings made life hard on themselves. They had 3 1/2 days between their Sunday afternoon shootout loss to Montreal and their game Thursday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, ample time to heal their bumps and bruises and build up the energy to set the tone against an Eastern Conference team that they rarely see.

Instead, they were outworked, outplayed and generally listless. Coach Darryl Sutter noted this was the third time his team had three days between games and on each occasion the team was, um, underwhelming. Only he didn’t use that exact word. “Our top guys were not very efficient out there maximizing what their God gave them,” he said.

Asked if that’s because players were taking things for granted, Sutter replied, “No, I don’t think that’s the right word. I think the word would be ‘Using the time properly to be a great competitor.’” That’s more than one word, but the point was clear. The Kings didn’t compete hard enough and they had no excuse for it.

Here are some takeaways from the game:

-- Jeff Zatkoff didn’t do much to ensure he stays out of Sutter’s doghouse.

The little-used goaltender wasn’t bad, and on Carolina’s first two goals mistakes by his Kings teammates gave the Hurricanes numerical edges. “He didn’t have a lot of work,” Sutter said. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

-- Eastern Conference woes could impact the Kings’ season.

Two games into a stretch of eight straight contests against Eastern opponents, they are 0-1-1. Overall this season, they’re 5-4-1 against the East, with Ottawa up next at Staples Center on Saturday. After that, the Kings play nine straight road games, with the first five against East teams. The Kings are very close to a playoff spot — only a point behind Winnipeg, which held the second West wild-card spot after Thursday’s games — but their goal differential is -2. That’s alarming for a team that depends so much on its defense.

-- The Kings still have difficulty dealing with speedy teams.

In a league trending toward speed, the Kings don’t have enough throughout their lineup. And what they do have, they don’t always use wisely. That could be a problem down the road.

helene.elliott@latimes.com

Follow Helene Elliott on Twitter @helenenothelen