Selfish Play Bothers Robinson

King Coach Larry Robinson said his biggest disappointment in the team’s 4-3 win at Phoenix on Tuesday was the lengthy shifts his players had over the final two periods.

“That’s our biggest fault right now,” Robinson said. “The best example is that when the guys went over to the Olympics, they took 30-second shifts and they are the best players in the world. There’s no reasons why these guys can’t. Not when it’s a smaller rink and things are happening quicker and fatigue is such a major factor. There’s no reason why they can’t cut their shifts down. There’s just a little bit of selfishness on their part and undisciplined. . . . They’re always trying to get there so they can be involved in an offensive play but yet do not have enough gas to make a defensive play.”

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Goaltender Frederic Chabot, who left at 4:29 of the second period against Phoenix because of a right knee sprain, still needs to play more than half a game in two more starts to qualify for an off-season roster spot with the Kings.

Chabot made 12 saves and left with a 4-0 lead.

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Right wing Vitali Yachmenev, who was recalled Monday from Long Beach of the International Hockey League, did not dress. Yachmenev and defenseman Jan Vopat were the Kings’ only healthy scratches against the Coyotes.