Penalty Killing Is Order of the Day

Tonight, when they play Pittsburgh, the Kings will face the league’s worst penalty-killing unit for the second game in a row.

Two days ago, the worst was Washington, but the Kings changed that with an 0-for-6 performance against the Capitals’ power play, pushing the Penguins to the bottom of the list.

Still, the Kings beat Washington, 5-2, despite failing to score with a man-advantage for only the third time in 11 games.

“To be honest with you, we were happy with our power play,” Coach Andy Murray said Wednesday. “We didn’t lose any momentum at all . . . To operate at 30-some percent all season is impossible.”

The Kings are 13 for 47 on the power play, or 27.7% efficiency, slightly below San Jose’s 28.3%.

But the Kings have slipped to 82% on their penalty killing and have given up short-handed goals in three consecutive games and four of their last five, which is one reason the penalty-killing units were getting extra time Wednesday during practice at Iceoplex.

The goal, according to Murray, who answers everything with a number, is to be at 110%, combining power-play and penalty-killing efficiencies. They’re close. Another way, he says, is to take the power-play goals (13), minus shorthanded goals given up (two), and compare that with goals given up while penalty killing (nine). If you’re ahead of the game mathematically, you’re OK, according to the coach.

If not, you’re still OK as long as you have a 6-3-2 record and have won two games in a row.

*

If you saw Donald Audette, Glen Murray and Bryan Smolinski laughing after goals by Audette Tuesday, you might have wondered what was so funny.

Well, it seems Murray’s bad luck--he hit the post on an open net Sunday night and has done so several times this season--occasionally benefits his line.

One of Audette’s goals came on a pass from Murray that was actually a shot on which he almost fanned. It drew Washington goalie Olaf Kolzig and left the net open for Audette.

On Audette’s other goal, he was passing to Murray, but the puck hit a defender’s skate and caromed back to Audette, who directed it home.

TONIGHT

vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30

Fox Sports West/ESPN2

* Site--Staples Center.

* Radio--KRLA (1110).

* Record--Kings 6-3-2, Penguins 2-3-2-1.

* Record vs. Penguins (1998-99)--1-1.

* Update--The Penguins will get defenseman Darius Kasparaitis back tonight after his two-game suspension. They also expect at least a couple of their centers to return. For a game Saturday at Carolina, Martin Straka (knee), Robert Lang (back) and Jan Hrdina (ankle) were out, and converted defenseman Ian Moran (back) was hobbling. Straka and Lang are expected to play and Moran might. The Kings will start Stephane Fiset in goal.

* Tickets--(888) 546-4752.