Here’s a Thought, Pavel: Don’t Think

A month ago, Pavel Rosa was playing for Long Beach of the International Hockey League.

And then he had two goals in his opening game with the Kings.

And then . . . nothing.

Until he picked up an assist on Garry Galley’s first-period goal Tuesday night, Rosa was mired in a four-game scoring drought after getting a goal or an assist in seven of his first 10 NHL games.

He knows why.

“I’m trying to do too much,” he said. “I’m making everything more difficult for myself.”

Rosa’s long suit is that he finds a way to get a shot. “He always gets himself open,” Coach Larry Robinson said.

It’s what happens next that’s been the problem lately.

“I’m thinking too much,” Rosa said. “I’m trying to make too many things happen.

“The other day, I’m going down with [Jozef] Stumpel on a two-on-two, and I started thinking about all of the options I had. I put him offsides instead of just getting the puck deep.”

The key then is to turn off the mind.

And turn on the shot, which is more difficult now that Rosa has been moved down the list of lines. Once teamed with Luc Robitaille and Stumpel--Rosa had the assist on Robitaille’s 500th goal--he is now skating with Yanic Perreault and Eric Lacroix, a less imposing line commanding less ice time.

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Defenseman Steve Duchesne was back in uniform Tuesday night after missing Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh because of back spasms that occurred as he was awakening from his pregame nap.

It’s happened before. “I had them in St. Louis and Ottawa too,” he said. “I just take a lot of muscle relaxers and a lot of massage.”