Robitaille Yearns for Playoff Intensity

He’s down because the Kings are so close to being out of the playoffs and sometimes he feels powerless to do anything about it.

“Last night was probably the toughest night I’ve had all year,” said Luc Robitaille on Friday, referring to the Kings’ 4-3 loss to expansion Nashville.

“This is supposed to be like the playoffs for us. Everybody is supposed to be like it’s the playoffs--the players, the coaches, the trainer, the equipment manager, everybody. And we’re digging a deeper hole.”

Thursday night’s loss was the result of, among other things, a letdown after successive strong efforts against Dallas and the Mighty Ducks that resulted only in defeats. The Kings outshot the Ducks, 34-17, and lost, 2-1, and outshot Dallas, 35-18, only to lose, 1-0.

Robitaille and some of his teammates have taken issue with the way playing time is meted out, wondering why nonperformers are getting as much ice time as they are, and the coaching staff is apparently listening. The Kings played four lines in each of the first two periods against Dallas, Anaheim and Nashville, but only three in the third periods of those games.

The three-line attack has yielded better results, including an 18-2 shooting edge against the Predators and a 2-0 scoring edge in a too-little, too-late third-period foray.

The Kings are seven points behind San Jose for the final playoff spot in the West and have 17 games or 34 points to contest.

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Center Ray Ferraro missed practice Friday because of a cold. . . . Winger Sandy Moger has been hit in the face by a stick or a puck four times in the last month, most recently Thursday, the day he had removed a face shield. . . . Philippe Boucher returned to practice after a bout with flu.

Tonight

vs. Calgary, 7

Fox Sports West

* Site--Great Western Forum.

* Radio--KRLA (1110).

* Records--Kings 23-35-5, Flames 22-30-10. * Record vs. Flames--1-1-1.

* Update--Calgary began a seven-game trip Friday night at Vancouver and will play 11 of 14 games on the road this month. In this case, though, it’s something of a respite because it allows the Flames to escape some of the hoopla over their unloading franchise player Theoren Fleury to Colorado, largely because they couldn’t sign him to a free-agent deal next season. Next in line: center Andrew Cassels.

* Tickets--(888) 546-4752.