Kings Coach Darryl Sutter sees room for improvement on scoring front

Kings Coach Darryl Sutter warmed up, slowly.

You might say he is a lot like his team: Not great early but quite good late in the season.

The Kings face the Wild tonight, attempting to win their fourth straight game on this crucial trip. They swept the New York-area teams for the second straight season, but Sutter wasn’t handing out praise on all fronts.

“We still have a lot of guys who haven’t scored a goal since Jesus was a baby,” Sutter said after Saturday’s morning skate.

Then he really got going when asked if he looks at the standings, which seemed to be shifting on a nightly basis. This happens to be the abbreviated version, because, well, in this case, less information is better.

“I get up about 3 in the morning….you’ve got to do it in the middle of the night because there’s still games going and I go to bed so early,” Sutter said. “With shootouts and overtimes, they take another half hour out of your schedule.”

No lineup changes are anticipated for the Kings. The Wild defeated the Flames, 4-2, here on Friday night with three third-period goals, meaning the Kings remain in third place in the Pacific Division.

“We all embrace that challenge,” Kings right wing Justin Williams said. “That’s what we look forward to. As much as two points are important in February, which they are, they seem a lot more important right now.

“You can’t sit back and look back where you lost points this year. You look at right now. We’re above the line and we want to keep climbing.”

One of the key targets, naturally, would be the Canucks. Vancouver, two points ahead of the Kings, will play the visiting Dallas Stars later on Saturday.

Maybe the game will be done before Sutter turns in.