Team Loses Some Punch

King enforcer Matt Johnson left Wednesday night’s 4-0 loss to the New York Rangers in the first period because of a right shoulder strain. He will be evaluated today and is questionable for Friday’s game at Buffalo.

With Johnson out, left wing Brent Grieve was forced to work double shifts in his first game back since being called up from Phoenix, the Kings’ International Hockey League affiliate.

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Forward Eddie Olczyk, who has been out the last week because of flu, skated in pregame warmups but did not play for the fourth consecutive game. Olczyk may play against Buffalo.

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With their loss to the Rangers, the Kings stretched their winless streak at Madison Square Garden to seven games. Their last victory was in 1989, when Wayne Gretzky was in his second season with Los Angeles.