Team Is Paying the Penalty

The game is hard enough when you have the same number of skaters on the ice as the opposition, but when you’re playing a man or two short, it gets downright uphill.

That has been the Kings’ plight all too often in a season in which only three teams are averaging more penalty minutes per game than their 17.6.

Seldom has it been more apparent than Saturday night, when Chicago spent 15:03 on power plays and scored four times with a man advantage. Four of their last five goals in an 8-4 thumping of the Kings came on the power play.

“Our philosophy is being tough to play against,” King Coach Andy Murray said Tuesday. “When you work hard and you’re pursuing the puck and you’re playing aggressively, you tend to get more penalties than if you sit back.

“We also recognize that we don’t want to take as many as we’ve been taking, and we’ve talked about that. We’ve taken some frustration penalties these last three games.”

They have lost all three, and by embarrassing scores.

The Kings had 29 minutes in penalties against the Blackhawks, who spent more than half of the first period on power plays.

“I would rather have a team that you have to pull back a little bit than one you have to say, ‘Get in there and mix it up with those guys.’ ”

Adding to the difficulty is the Kings’ inability to score with four skaters on the ice. They have only one goal in such a situation--Brad Chartrand’s breakaway short-hander at Chicago on Oct. 30--and have yet to score in a four-on-four situation, which partially accounts for six ties.

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The Kings have given up 13 goals in the first periods of the last three games.

“Our style, if we do it, is such that we should never be caught in outnumbered rushes,” Murray said.

The Kings have been caught in plenty of them lately.

“I think sometimes you go in and try to play conservative, and you’re just waiting for something bad to happen. If we believe that our system is good, then why change it?”

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Chartrand will not play tonight because of a groin strain.

TONIGHT

at San Jose, 7:30

Fox Sports Net

* Site--San Jose Arena.

* Radio--KRLA (1110).

* Records--Kings 16-11-6-1, Sharks 17-16-4-2.

* Record vs. Sharks--2-0.

* Update--San Jose will be playing its third game in four nights and has lost three in a row. The Sharks have their own penalty problems, so much so that Dean Lombardi, the team’s general manager, blasted the officiating in Detroit’s 4-3 victory Monday and faces sanctions from the league. “I’m not going to let this one go,” Lombardi was quoted as saying. “That was a pathetic display.” The Red Wings were two for four on the power play, one of the goals coming with a two-man advantage. Owen Nolan continues to lead the Sharks with 25 goals and 25 assists.