Coach Couldn’t Afford to Factor In Smolinski’s Injury

There was no compensating for King center Bryan Smolinski’s injury.

“The question wasn’t, ‘Can you play?’ ” Coach Andy Murray said before Wednesday’s game. “It was, ‘Can you play good?’ ”

The answer through three games was “not good enough,” Murray added.

The coach added that Smolinski’s wing partner, Glen Murray, also could be lumped into a group of Kings who needed to play better in Game 4. It didn’t happen.

After Smolinski suffered a torn knee ligament with 16 seconds to play in the April 3 game at Phoenix, his ability to play at all in the Kings’ first-round playoff series against Detroit had been considered remarkable. But neither Smolinski, who had 20 goals and 56 points, nor Murray, who had 29 goals and 62 points, had a goal or assist in the playoffs.

The coach singled out Craig Johnson, who moved from his usual position as checking winger to Smolinski’s line, as playing the best among forwards through the first three games.

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Ice time was tough for Dan Bylsma, Bob Corkum and Kelly Buchberger through the first three games, mostly because they compose the Kings’ “stopper” line.

“They’ve been limited in their effectiveness because we haven’t had a lead,” Murray said before Game 4. “We would like to be a four-line team as much as we can be.”

The Corkum line didn’t play at all in the third period Monday night.

Wednesday night, the line’s composition was changed when Bylsma was scratched in favor of Nelson Emerson, whose broken finger was deemed to have sufficiently healed for him to get his first playoff time.

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Winger Marko Tuomainen was scratched since Game 1, largely to add speed to the Kings’ lineup, but he did not hold a grudge.

“It was explained to me by the coach,” Tuomainen said. “It’s a coach’s decision.”

Tuomainen, who stands to be a free agent this summer, said the slight wouldn’t impact his decision as to future employment.